Lex Fridman Podcast
#465 – Robert Rodriguez: Sin City, Desperado, El Mariachi, Alita, and Filmmaking
17 Apr 2025
Robert Rodriguez is a legendary filmmaker and creator of Sin City, El Mariachi, Desperado, Spy Kids, Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Alita: Battle Angel, The Faculty, and his newest venture Brass Knuckle Films. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep465-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/robert-rodriguez-transcript CONTACT LEX: Feedback - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey AMA - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama Hiring - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring Other - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact EPISODE LINKS: Robert's X: https://x.com/rodriguez Robert's Instagram: https://instagram.com/rodriguez/ Brass Knuckle Films: https://brassknucklefilms.com/ Rebel without a Crew (book): https://amzn.to/3G7gtQJ Rebel without a Crew (audiobook): https://amzn.to/3Ri5wyc SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Invideo AI: AI video generator. Go to https://invideo.io/i/lexpod Brain.fm: Music for focus. Go to https://brain.fm/lex NetSuite: Business management software. Go to http://netsuite.com/lex Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex OUTLINE: (00:00) - Introduction (10:04) - Explosions and having only one take (17:39) - Success and failure (26:28) - Filmmaking on a low budget (38:41) - El Mariachi (50:10) - Creativity (1:12:06) - Limitations (1:18:22) - Handling criticism (1:34:32) - Action films (1:45:53) - Quentin Tarantino (1:55:52) - Desperado (1:56:54) - Salma Hayek (2:01:40) - Danny Trejo (2:06:55) - Filming in Austin (2:13:05) - Editing (2:22:35) - Sound design (2:27:43) - Deadlines (2:31:14) - Alita: Battle Angel (2:39:36) - James Cameron (2:52:39) - Sin City (3:06:48) - Manifesting (3:18:12) - Memories and journaling (3:27:56) - Mortality PODCAST LINKS: - Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast - Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 - RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ - Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 - Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips
Full Episode
The following is a conversation with Robert Rodriguez, a legendary filmmaker and creator of Sin City, El Mariachi, Desperado, Spy Kids, Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Alita, Battle Angel, The Faculty, and many more. Robert inspired a generation of independent filmmakers with his first film, El Mariachi, that he famously made for just $7,000.
On that film, in many sense, he was not only the director, he was also the writer, producer, cinematographer, editor, visual effects supervisor, sound designer, composer, basically the full stack of filmmaking.
He has shown incredible versatility across genres, including action, horror, family films, and sci-fi, with some epic collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron, and many other legendary actors and filmmakers. He has often operated at the technological cutting edge, pioneering using HD filmmaking, digital backlots, and 3D tech.
And always, through all of that, he's been a champion of independent filmmaking, running his own studio here in Austin, Texas, which, in many ways, is very far away from Hollywood. He's building a new thing now called Brass Knuckle Films, where he's opening up the filmmaking process so that fans can be a part of it as he creates his next four action films.
I'll probably go hang out at his film studio a bunch as this is all coming to life. His work has inspired a very large number of people, including me, to be more creative in whatever pursuit you take on in life and have fun doing it. And now, a quick few second mention of each sponsor. Check them out in the description. It's the best way to support this podcast.
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Maybe you will too. Also, if you want to get in touch with me for whatever reason, go to lexman.com contact. And now onto the full ad reads. Let's go. This episode is brought to you by InVideo AI, a video generating app that allows you to create full-length videos using just text prompts. Perhaps, obviously, InVideo is the perfect sponsor for this conversation with Robert Rodriguez.
He has been, for decades, the guy willing to use cutting-edge technology. Digital, HD, VR, 3D. And now we're in a time and a space where it's not quite used by the big filmmakers because they're not really sure how to leverage its power. And so I think it's really the role of the independent filmmakers to start playing with video generation.
Start playing five seconds, ten seconds at a time, seeing what you can do in a storytelling art form. I do think it's a skill I've used in video a lot. There's some aspect of it, you have to kind of nudge the system into that direction. I mean, it really is like having two directors. And there's things that humans are really good at, and there's things that AI is really good at.
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