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George’s Way
With three movies coming out, a TV show in syndication, a national tour and a pretty fierce golf game, the triumphant Mr. Lopez makes his mark, leading by example and offering no apologies.
By Marissa Rodriguez
George Lopez is no stranger to changing the game. His stand-up comedy relaying the trials and tribulations of the Hispanic family has not only paved the way for dozens of other comedians to open up about their experiences on stage, but has lured attention-starved audiences that are thrilled to hear stories that mirror their own. Plus, his undeniable success proved to entertainment bigwigs that it all mattered.
“I sold out the AT&T Center, and where the Rockets play, and every show in L.A. has been sold out to 6,000 people. I am just one guy, and I don’t even have a stool,” Lopez says during an interview with Hispanic. “When you look at the people who come and the number of tickets I have sold, it drives [me] to tell the stories.”
Thousands of ticket buyers and millions of fans can’t be wrong. In his shows the 47-year-old, Mission Hills, California-native takes care to represent his background and connect to the audience with shared memories. He counts on the audience remembering the man passing by the neighborhood with the bike-powered cart selling fruit, elote or aguas frescas, or how it seemed like dozens of cousins would pile into a car for any trip. And if their laughter is any gauge, it seems they do.
What’s appealing about his tales is how candid they are. On stage he reveals the good, the bad and the ugly: He grew up poor, he never received enough attention or moral support, and his grandparents, who raised him, were less than doting. But through all the drama and deprivation, the stories are hilarious, poignant and personal. And, he does this without ever sacrificing authenticity.
“I dress pretty much the same way as when I was in the sixth grade. The shoes are a little better, they’re Prada now,” he says about his daily life, he also notes that he talks the same way now as he did back in the day, too. “It’s all me, the things I do and say [on stage] are OK with me. I don’t have a team of writers. I don’t pretend to know the answers, other than what I think and feel.”
He’s taken this insight all the way to the bank. His comedy albums have sold in the millions, his cable specials have become classics and, of course, there is the TV show.
Already known to millions of Latinos in the U.S. because of his stand-up appearances on television and on radio, George Lopez, the show named after the funnyman, opened the door to tens of millions of homes in the country. When the show premiered, Lopez joined the ranks of Freddie Prinze and Desi Arnaz, the only other Latinos who have headlined a major sitcom on a national English-language network.
“When I was 13 and saw Freddie Prinze for the first time, he was playing a Chicano in East L.A. That was the first time I saw somebody that looked like us,” he says. And until Lopez himself took the reins at his show, few Latino leading men came after Prinze.
During its five-year, 100-plus episode run, the show didn’t shirk from tackling topical, and universal, issues: from finding a long-departed father, to the pressures of a teen relationship, meddling in-laws and familial strife. Throughout its run, the show never quite settled into one time slot, yet held its own even when put up against ratings giant American Idol. After its abrupt cancellation in 2007, Nick at Nite picked up the show and placed it in its prime-time lineup. In its new home it helped the cable channel score gains in the lucrative market of 18- to 49-year-old viewers.
“I am very proud to have the show have [a] life in syndication,” Lopez says. “It’s one of the few shows that has more success in syndication than in real life. [That we produced] 120 episodes in the climate of reality TV, when sitcoms are in bad shape, is something I can be proud of.”
Although it helped usher in a new spirit of diversity on the nearly homogenous network TV and helped pave the way for Freddie, a sitcom starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., and arguably for more inclusive programming such as Ugly Betty and Cane, what Lopez also loved about the show was that it never excluded any viewer from its humor.
“This show reaches all demographics,” he says. “Ray Romano asked me to sign an autograph for his son. [His] kid’s favorite show is my show. It allows all kids to laugh, but Latinos especially.”
Lopez’s show was a boon to Latino actors and it has been reported that more were hired for roles in television during its first year, thanks in part to the existence of a show like his.
“I look after Latinos, because I am one, and I look to how many I can hire,” he says. “I have a deal at Warner Bros. to produce films, and hire all people. If I make any movie it’s going to be for the good and be inclusive.”
His three movies coming out prove just that. Beginning in August Lopez stars in Henry Poole is Here, Swing Vote and the Disney family film Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
The first, Henry Poole is Here, stars Luke Wilson as a depressed young man who believes he has months to live and sequesters himself in his house to finish his time on earth alone. His solitude is disrupted when faithful neighbors believe a stain on his exterior wall is a religious apparition and congregate on his property. George Lopez plays Father Salazar, a priest who tries to examine the stucco vision.
“I read the script and it was about faith and belief and [it was] really nicely done,” he says. “I was on a plane and I thought ‘I hope no one hires someone else [for the part] while I’m in the air’.”
Luckily for Lopez, they didn’t. The story was attractive, as was the fact that it was a diverse project, and that he could step out. It was written by Albert Torres; and co-stars Adriana Barraza, who also starred in Babel, and whom Lopez thinks should have won the Academy Award for her role in the film. Playing a man of the cloth was a different kind of role for Lopez. He had been working in the world of sitcom for six years, he says, so to do this more low-key role, he “had to really be there, and be present.”
His role is Swing Vote was a little different. Originally written for a non-Hispanic white person, Lopez is John Sweeney, a television station manager in the small town where Bud Johnson, played by Kevin Costner, lives. Set during a heated the presidential election, officials determine that the election will be decided by a single vote—Bud’s. With media swarming the area, John Sweeney is determined to get to the real story.
And in the family film Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Lopez is the voice of Papi, one of the many little dogs in this movie with an all-star Latino cast that includes Salma Hayek, Andy Garcia, Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos and Paul Rodriguez.
Lopez recognizes his place among other such Hispanic actors with the same belief, and that with a united effort they can make changes in the way Hispanics are portrayed and what they create in Hollywood.
“We are all trailblazers in our individual ways. Cheech [Marin] and Andy [Garcia], Eddie [James Olmos] and Eva [Longoria], Wilmer [Valderrama] and Mario [Lopez], they are all in their own way satellites of our bigger picture,” he says. “These are gifts. Anytime an actor works in Hollywood it’s a gift. It isn’t about color, you have to be fortunate to work, and throughout my career I always thought it was important to do good things. I have chosen not to do anything that’s demeaning, that isn’t a positive to the culture, I won’t do it, I don’t care how much money is involved.”
Lopez has also demonstrated commitment to his craft even through personal hardship, when he continued to work during his battle with kidney disease. He had battled kidney trouble his entire life, and in 2005 he underwent a kidney transplant using a kidney donated to him by his wife, Ann.
In his stand up routines he often jokes about Hispanics’ reticence at going to the doctor and willingness to withstand horrid health problems instead of seeking medical treatment. Instead, they resort to folk remedies or self-prescribed cures. After his successful operation he and his wife have become spokespersons for the National Kidney Foundation and have helped raise awareness for the issue through his TV show. In one episode, his TV son, Max, learns that he too has kidney disease.
“We [Hispanics] need a better relationship with health. It would be tough to be on stage telling people to go to the doctor. First of all it wouldn’t be funny,” he says. “I am not a preacher, I am a comedian. I am a living example of what can happen to you if you don’t go to the doctor, that’s pretty much the message.”
Now Lopez cares for himself better and exercises more, and his favorite sport is golf. An avid golfer, Lopez participated in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic for three years before being asked to host the event for the following two years. And he’s become a star athlete, even in celebrity pro-am games. Some of his star playmates have included Luke Wilson, Samuel L. Jackson, Cheech Marin, Anthony Anderson and Oscar de la Hoya, just to name a few.
He’s leading a resurgence of the old Hollywood gentleman player. Leading men like Jack Lemmon, Bing Crosby and, of course, Bob Hope lent an air of fame to the sport, and Lopez does the same today. Only in addition to lending his name to the star tournaments, he also helps change the face of the game.
But what’s the next step for Lopez? The actor has spent decades on stage in front of laughing audiences and broken into almost every form of media: scripted television, live television, a documentary, a book, albums and films. He’s earned commendations, awards and recognitions, and even, in the early ‘90s, a “George Lopez Day” in his hometown.
“I would like to do one more HBO special,” he says. “One more special would be great, and I think the tour would be great. But I don’t want it to do it forever. I don’t want to be a lifer in this business. I have been doing stand-up since I was 18, and I struggled to make it. I don’t have to be on stage when I am 70 years old. I want to have a life away from this. I don’t want this to define my entire life.”
That’s not to say that Lopez won’t still be entertaining in some form for years to come. With such an impact on the entertainment industry, with jokes that have weaved themselves in our pop cultural tapestry and a TV show that helped change the fame game for Latino actors, George Lopez has been recorded for posterity, and we are sure to see more yet.
“Since 1987, when I quit my day job, every year has been a forward progression,” he says. “That show will be around for a long, long time and generations will see it. I will always be around.”
In Our Queue
George Lopez has lent his talent to dozens of projects, from feature films to sitcoms, to albums and DVDs of his live performances, to even books. To detail all of his works would tire even the most ardent Lopez fans. So instead we offer a compilation of some of his classic best and our new favorites.
Right Now, Right Now (2001)
In this classic comedy album Lopez lets loose on his family and friends, tackling everything from growing up and taking trips to Mexico in packed cars to disappointing birthdays and dating blunders.
Thanks to his keen sense of observation and astute storytelling, audiences are taken right into the family barbecues, ER visits and on the job. Right Now, Right Now also established him and a comedy star not to be overlooked.
Real Women Have Curves (2002)
Lopez stars as a benevolent high school teacher who is intent on getting his bright student—played by America Ferrera in her breakout role—to go to college even though her close-knit family seems to have other plans.
The George Lopez Show (2002-2007)
Now in syndication on Nick at Nite, the breakthrough sitcom was originally on ABC and was the first TV sitcom of its kind. In the family-based show, Lopez played a fictionalized version of himself (though many aspects of the show were based on true experiences) living with his wife, a teenage daughter, adolescent son, his spitfire mother and conservative father-in-law.
The show co-starred Constance Marie as his wife Angie, and boasted an assortment of guest stars. The first two seasons are now available on DVD.
The Original Latin Kings of Comedy (2003)
George Lopez shares the stage with Paul Rodriguez, Joey Medina, Alex Reymundo and Cheech Marin in this Paramount special recorded live in El Paso. Each comedian gives insights into his upbringing and the myths that surround Hispanics in America.
Team Leader (2003)
Another comedy album recorded from a live stage show, this one tackles the sticky subject of work relations, intercultural communications, the way we talk to each other and the eventual Spanglish takeover. The album earned him a Grammy nomination.
Why You Crying? (2005)
Taped during his live stand-up show in Long Beach, California, where his idol Richard Pryor once performed, Lopez again showcases his candid humor and insight into family life. The show’s title would become a catch-phrase for Lopez fans.
Why You Crying?
My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love, and Laughter
By George Lopez and Armen Keteyan (2005)
Without fear or reservation, Lopez reveals intimate details about his life in this autobiography. After being abandoned first by his father, then by his mother, and being raised by his cold grandparents, he works to make it as a comedian and actor in Hollywood without support. Lopez’s tale of victory is purely inspirational.
El Mas Chingon (2006)
Embracing his tougher side, Lopez thinks back to the experience that thickened his skin and the differences between growing up in today’s pampered, techno-centric world versus in his do-it-yourself days as a youth in California.
Brown is the New Green:
George Lopez and the American Dream
A Documentary by Philip Rodriguez (2007)
In this documentary about the profitability (and the realities) of the Hispanic market in entertainment and business, Lopez opines about his experiences in the Hollywood machine.
Weaved into the narative about Hispanic portrayal in popular entertainment and perceptions of Latinos furthered by a non-inclusive industry, he lays bare his experiences climbing to the top and the misconceptions about Latinos that he fought along the way.
George Lopez: America’s Mexican (2007)
In his HBO comedy special, Lopez dives head-first into some of the nation’s toughest subjects including immigration and naturalization, interracial relationships, and the days ahead. Yet, he doesn’t let up on his signature themes.
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