The man who made his first movie aged 24 for $7000 has never stopped moving in spite of setbacks.

“When I do a seminar on filmmaking I tell people the biggest mistake you can make is to fear failure,’’ he says.

“You should always fear forward. If you have a fear, you should go, ‘Oh, that means I’m on the right track. That means I’m doing something I didn’t try before.’ If you play safe, you’re probably wasting your time.’’

Known for films Sin City, the Spy Kids franchise and From Dusk Till Dawn, Rodriguez faces his biggest challenge yet.

He’s creating and producing the 10-part series From Dusk Till Dawn, based on his movie.

Even when he was a kid, Rodriguez, 45, never let defeat deter him.

He made poor grades and didn’t excel at anything.

“I had scattered focus,’’ says Rodriguez. “I hated sports. I wanted to be a cartoonist. I loved photography. I loved music. I loved filmmaking.

“I had so many hobbies. And you just realise you want to find something that you’re passionate about, that you can focus your attention on and put all of your ‘thing’ into it.

“I’ve been doing it since I was 12, and I’m still doing it.’’

One of 10 kids, Rodriguez was a worry for his parents.

“My older brother and sister were great in sports, great in school, and I was always drawing in class.

“That’s all I liked to do, and making little movies,” he says.

But his dad, who sold cookware, backed the young Robert’s passions.

“When I said, ‘I think I want to play saxophone,’ my dad got me a used saxophone. When I said I wanted to study piano, they gave me piano lessons.

“When I said I wanted to borrow his video camera and make a home movie, they let me do that. They wanted me so badly to find an interest. And I found it was all those things.’’

■ From Dusk Till Dawn, Tuesday, 8.30pm, SBS2