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15 Unbelievable Facts About The Iconic Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez 

Let me tell you about Robert Rodriguez, an American filmmaker who has defied conventions and shattered box office records with his unique brand of low-budget, high-octane action flicks. His journey from a self-taught filmmaker shooting movies in his backyard to a Hollywood icon is a testament to his creativity, resourcefulness, and unwavering passion for cinema.

Robert is an all-round cinema genius who has established himself as a prominent figure in the filmmaking industry and has continuously captivated his audiences with his horror, animated, and action films. Rodriguez has earned himself a cult of dedicated fans and critical acclaim.

From his low-budget debut to blockbuster movies, Rodriguez’s passion for filmmaking does not go unnoticed. Among his popular movies include El Mariachi, Sin City, Machete, Desperado, and Alita Battle Angel. He produces most of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Here are 15 unbelievable facts about this iconic filmmaker.

1. Robert’s Interest In Film Began Early

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Robert Rodriguez was born in 1968 in San Antonio, Texas, to his parents Rebecca a nurse, and Cecilio G. Rodr铆guez a cookware sales manager. He came from a large family with many sisters and brothers. 

While his siblings loved sports, Rodriguez’s interest was in the family’s Super 8 movie camera which his father had bought. He began making film-like flip books to amuse his siblings and kept dreaming about becoming a filmmaker after watching John Carpenter’s science-fiction thriller Escape from New York. As a result, he started making home movies and videotaping his family members.  

2. His First Feature Film, El Mariachi, Had A Budget Of Just $7,000 

In 1992, Rodriguez wrote the script for his first feature film, El Mariachi. To raise funds for the neo-noir action film, he took extreme measures and volunteered for medical research tests, participating in various medical experiments as a paid subject. The unconventional approach enabled him to raise $7000 to cover the cost of shooting the film. He also took the DIY approach and directed, edited, photographed, and sound-recorded the film.  

It took 13 days to shoot the film and a very small crew. The film was extremely popular and became a commercial success and grossed $2.6 million at the box office. It became the lowest-budget movie to be released by a mainstream studio and spawned two sequels, Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico collectively known as the Mexico Trilogy. 

3. Robert Is a Close Friend Of Quentin Tarantino 

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Rodriguez and Tarantino have been very close friends for some time. Both of them are self-taught directors who have collaborated on several projects together including Four Rooms, From Dusk Till Dawn, Kill Bill: Volume 2, Sin City, and Grindhouse. Rodriguez also cast Tarantino in the Former, and in Desperado. 

Rodriguez gave Tarantino his first script-writing gig even though he had produced and submitted much of his own work before. He commissioned Tarantino to rewrite the script for From Dusk Till Dawn.

4. Robert Used To Videotape His High School’s Football Games

Rodriguez attended St. Anthony High School Seminary in San Antonio. He was commissioned to videotape the school’s football games but was fired soon after for shooting footage in a cinematic style.

The coaches complained that his filming technique was missing the point. He got shots of the parents’ reactions to the game and the ball traveling through the air instead of shooting the whole play. Rodriguez met Carlos Gallardo in high school and they shot films throughout high school and college. 

5. He Created Los Hooligans, A Daily Comic Strip, While In College  

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Rodriguez developed a love for cartooning while he attended the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. Unfortunately, due to his low grades, he could not get into the school鈥檚 film program. He began creating a daily comic strip entitled Los Hooligans. Most of the characters in the comic were based on his siblings, particularly his sister, Maricarmen.  

The comic was a success and it ran for three years in the student newspaper, The Daily Texan. Rodriguez self-taught basic directing and editing skills before undertaking a film program. He never stopped making short films and won several awards for his efforts and hard work. He later got accepted into the film program at the University of Texas. 

6. Robert Choose Benicio del Toro For A Role Because Of His Hair 

Robert Rodriguez originally wanted Johnny Depp to play the role of Jackie Boy in 鈥淪in City.鈥� However, Depp could not make it for the role because he had another film engagement. Rodriguez had to look for another actor and this was when he ran into Benicio del Toro.

When they met, Rodriguez was mesmerized by Benicio del Toro’s luscious, beautiful mane of hair and right then, he knew he was the right person for the role. He told del Toro not to shave his hair and offered him the role. He mailed him a copy of the script the next day. 

7. He Is An Independent All-Round Filmmaker

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Robert is famously nicknamed “the one-man film crew” because he does most of the production himself. He embraces a DIY attitude and is credited with producing, directing, and writing most of his films.

This guy also serves as the editor, sound editor, visual effects supervisor, director of photography, production designer, camera operator, Steadicam operator, and composer on his films. He is credited for making the soundtrack for the film Once Upon a Time in Mexico and abbreviated his numerous roles in the film as ‘shot, chopped, and scored by Robert Rodriguez’.  

Rodriguez refers to his movie-making style as the ‘Mariachi-style’ which refers to his first feature film El Mariachi. He is a night owl, preferring to work at night, and spending quality time with his family during the day. 

8. Robert Was The Founder Of El Rey Television Network 

In 2013, Rodriguez founded a Texas-based cable network known as El Rey Network (Spanish for The King). He had always wanted to own a television network so when the opportunity to partner up with Univision Communications arose, he grabbed it. 

In 2020, after seven years of operation, El Rey Network made the difficult decision to cease linear broadcasting and explore new avenues for content distribution. El Rey Network partnered with Cinedigm, a streaming entertainment company, to relaunch as a free ad-supported streaming service.

This move marked a new chapter for the network, allowing it to reach a wider audience and continue its commitment to bold and unconventional programming. Today, El Rey Network streams on various platforms, including The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Amazon Freevee.

9. His Guns Were Confiscated At The Border Patrol 

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When Rodriguez was getting ready to film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, he ran into some trouble at the border patrol. The guns he planned to use in the film were confiscated by authorities at the border.  

The actors were forced to use rubber prop guns for the first two weeks of filming. The production crew used CGI visual effects to edit the guns and make them look more realistic during post-production. At first, Antonio Banderas was so disoriented by the phony replacements that every time he fired the prop guns, he had to mouth 鈥淏AM鈥� during the gunfighting battles. 

10. He Is Related To Danny Trejo

Robert Rodriguez had worked with Danny Trejo on several projects before he knew they were related. It was not until while filming Desperado that they realized they were related.

Rodriguez had hired Trejo because of his body of work playing tough guys but little did he know that he was hiring his second cousin. Rodriguez found out that they were cousins after his uncle pointed out that he was working with a family member. They have been great friends ever since. 

11. Robert Almost Hired A Dog And Its Owner For A Role In A Film

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When Rodriguez was filming Once Upon A Time in Mexico, he suggested to Mickey Rourke that they use his real dog, a Chihuahua along with his character Billy Chambers.

In the film, Rourke’s character was meant to constantly hold a Chihuahua under his arm so Rodriguez thought they could use Rourke’s dog. However, Rourke said his Chihuahua was too fat for the role and when he showed him a picture of the dog, Rodriguez could not agree more. They found another Chihuahua that was smaller and fit the role.

12. He Resigned From The Director’s Guild 

All Hollywood directors are members of the Directors Guild of America, however, Robert had to resign a few years ago after a dispute. Before releasing Sin City, Robert wanted Frank Miller to be credited as co-director. However, the Director’s Guild of America refused to permit Miller, so he resigned.  

Robert had completely refused to take screening credit because he believed Miller鈥檚 source material wrote the film, even if he didn鈥檛 direct the movie. The story had been adapted from Miller鈥檚 popular novel. Resigning from the guild cost him a project he had agreed to take. After he quit, he started making films under his Troublemaker Studios.

13. Robert Actualizes His Kids’ Ideas In His Films

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Rodrigues and his ex-wife Elizabeth Avell谩n have five kids, Racer, Rocket, Rebel, Rogue, and the last born Rhiannon. The parents separated after 16 years of marriage. Rodriguez does not shy from taking his kid’s imagination at heart and actualizing it. In 2005, he made a movie from a concept or idea that his son Racer gave him. His son was eight years old at the time.  

Racer was given credit for coming up with the story for the movie Adventures Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Critics gave it negative reviews, and most did not enjoy its visual effects. It got a 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes.  It didn鈥檛 go well with the box office either, managing to break even by a small margin only. Despite the setbacks, Rodrigues still collaborates with his kids on different projects. 

14. He Works With A-List Actors 

Rodriguez has collaborated with some of the biggest actors in the entertainment industry. He has cast Danny Trejo in ten projects, and Alexa PenaVega in six projects. He has also cast Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, and Cheech Marin in seven films. Other actors include Jessica Alba, Daryl Sabara, Tom Savini, and Patricia Vonne who all appeared in five of his projects. 

15. Robert Is An Award-Winning Filmmaker 

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Robert has won various awards for his top-notch filmmaking prowess. Some of them include the Winner of Best Feature at The Independent Spirit Awards, the Cannes Technical Grand Prize, the ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films, the Silver Scream Award, the ShoWest Award (with Quentin Tarantino), and the Guinness Book Of Records for the lowest budget film (El Mariachi).

Robert was also presented with the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award at the 2010 Austin Film Festival.  

Robert Rodriguez is an extremely talented filmmaker who has significantly inspired other filmmakers around the world. His unique technique and passion for his craft leave his audiences captivated. Whether he is making a DIY, low-budget film, or a high-budget blockbuster movie, he has proven that it is possible to achieve great success if you only believe in your dreams.