Desperado is part of Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy. The film is a sequel to El Mariachi and was followed up by Once Upon A Time in Mexico in 2003. The film’s cast includes Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, and Cheech Marin. There’s a cameo by famed director Quentin Tarantino. Let’s discuss some lesser known trivia about the film.
Trivia #1
Carlos Gallardo, who played the title character in El Mariachi, appears in the film as Campa, a friend to the Banderas character. Filmmakers had to reshoot the final scene from El Mariachi to include Banderas as to act as a flashback sequence in Desperado.
Trivia #2
Antonio Banderas performed all of the guitar work himself; this includes the song, Cancion Del Mariachi, during the opening sequence.
Trivia #3
The film’s title was originally titled El Pistolero (The Gunman) to be consistent with the first film, El Mariachi; however, the title was changed at the behest of the studio. In Mexico, the film was released as Pistolero.
Trivia #4
Jennifer Lopez auditioned for the role of Carolina. The role ended up going to Salma Hayek.
Trivia #5
Due to the film’s relatively low budget of $7 million, the same two stunt men were used throughout the film.