As Robert Rodriguez tells it, after conceiving of the character of Machete and telling Danny Trejo about it, Rodriguez started receiving phone calls at random hours of the day from Danny, trying to convince him to make the film. One day, Robert said to Danny that he was busy and asked why Danny can't just send a text message instead of constantly calling, to which Trejo replied: "Machete don't text." This became one of his character's catchphrases in the film.
Danny Trejo described his character as the kind of guy that if somebody goes out of town he would water their flowers, but if somebody breaks into their house he'd kill them.
This is Danny Trejo's fifth movie appearance as Machete Cortez. The first four in the Spy Kids films. However, the Spy Kids character and this movie's character aren't the same person, as their backstories and family connections are completely different.
While Steven Seagal has played an anti-hero on more than one occasion, this is the first time he ever played a full-out villain.