Archived Q&A with George Lopez

• Q

  

  HBO

  Thanks to George Lopez for joining us for today’s Q&A. How are you feeling about your upcoming live show on Saturday?

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  George Lopez says:

  Thanks. I'm excited, I'm ready and I'm doing it in my home town. There is a risk doing it live that you can't duplicate, and I love that. There is no reward without risk.

• Q

  

  LauraFNC

  What is your favorite memory from your sitcom?

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  George Lopez says:

  My goal was to get into syndication and that is a hard thing to do. So, the 88th episode is one of my favorites because the odds are so against any show and to get there that day was great.

• Q

  

  Dj3dlectro

  what tips would u have for upcoming Comedians?

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  George Lopez says:

  You can learn a lot now obviously by watching YouTube and DVDs as a kind of structure. But the closer you are to yourself and to be honest to yourself is the best way to learn.

• Q

  

  Justin Hadley

  How did you get your first "real" offer for stand up and who was your personal "real" critic that pushed you when times are a strugle?

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  George Lopez says:

  When I quit my day job, I got a job in Vegas at Christmas. And I did it for almost a year and it wasn't the easiest gig I ever had, but it was a great place to start because of the amount of shows., At that time repetition was great, it was hard to get that many hours anywhere else. Money wasn't great, but the repetition is what builds you. With lifting weights, you don't do it once a day. You have to do it every day. In the beginning I had a friend Ernie who would go with me and I talked to him about what scared me and what was exciting about stand up So he was the first sounding board that i had starting out. Starting out, you can quit any time and without him I am not sure that when it got really tough that I would have continued.

• Q

  

  Summer Hadley

  What is your favorite city to live in or visit in the U.S.A and why?

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  George Lopez says:

  San Francisco is great, I love Chicago. I love a city that has a downtown. Los Angeles is building a downtown and now that it doesn't smell like pee, more people are living there, Right now we are having a great resurgence in lots of downtown areas across the country.

• Q

  

  nikkijennique

  What was your favorite movie you got to be in?

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  George Lopez says:

  I thought Valentine's Day was pretty special because of Garry Marshall and getting to work with Ashton so much. Overall, the amount of stars in that movie was great to be a part of.

• Q

  

  ValentinaMonte

  Do you have a stand-up special that was your particular favorite?

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  George Lopez says:

  I think Why You Cryin' is good because it was before a lot of otyhrt things happened in my career. I also did it in Long Beach at the Terrace Theater. It was 25 years after Richard Pryor had done his on that same stage. He sent me flowers that day and I put them on the stage with me.

• Q

  

  Emily Giannusa

  Are you able to fit in much golf time into your busy schedule?

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  George Lopez says:

  Fortunately yes. In preparing for this special we took the clubs and played some really great places.

• Q

  

  Nahual Yagami

  In your sitcom you claimed you were a metal head/rocker and as far as I know your show was based on your life, I'm wondering if that claim was true, we're you a metal head back in the day? Because I'm a big fan of yours, being Mexican my self and a metal head as well

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  George Lopez says:

  Yes. Over the years I have seen everyone UFO, Van Halen, Blue Oyster Cult, Rush, Aerosmith. I saw some great bands, so yes.

• Q

  

  Kim Warner

  Besides comedy, what other interests in your life are you passionate about?

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  George Lopez says:

  I have my foundation that sends kids who have kidney disease to camp twice a year. I love doing that and getting to see the kids at camp.

• Q

  

  EG4god

  What keeps you motiviated?

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  George Lopez says:

  I come from working class people. My grandparents worked very hard and they didn't plan on retiring, they just worked. I just love to work. I don't think about retirement because I am in the day. Other people get to far ahead of themselves. I love to work. When you love what you do, it's easy.

• Q

  

  Emily Giannusa

  Do you have a favorite Latino expression?

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  George Lopez says:

  It is a tie between "Sabes Que" and "Ohque La Ching..."

• Q

  

  Doubleohlinsey

  How do you feel about the level of raunchiness in comedy these days? Is it too much/not funny or just part of comedy?

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  George Lopez says:

  It has always been a part of comedy, so it probably is too much but there are plenty of guys who don't do it at all. So if it is too much for you, there are plenty of guys who are not that adult. People are more easily offended now than they were 20 years ago also.

• Q

  

  makokinyan

  What would you have done if you weren't a comedian?

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  George Lopez says:

  Well I wanted to do was become an x-ray technician. So I probably would have gone to Devry and gotten my degree in x-ray biotechnology. I also drifted towards shipping and receiving. Working at UPS or FedEx was always our dream gig.

• Q

  

  misterhops

  I was a huge fan of your TV show. What's your favorite sitcom? What sitcoms influenced you the most?

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  George Lopez says:

  I studied Sanford & Sons before doing my own sitcom because there are some rich characters in that. The consistency of Seinfeld was great to watch. When Cosby was on and everyone was watching, those were great. Now, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Eastbound & Down are great and I enjoy watching those.

• Q

  

  Kim Warner

  How long did it take for you to get used to performing on stage in front of thousands of people?

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  George Lopez says:

  Once you identified what caused the fear (not doing well, bombing) and grasping that, You can really start to enjoy it. the better you are prepared, the percentage goes way down. thriving in the challenge of it is the hardest to get. In preparing for this one, I went to clubs and worked for the material but also to get the strong legs and getting used to firing from a standing position.

• Q

  

  ValentinaMonte

  How would you describe your brand of comedy?

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  George Lopez says:

  It's observational, you know all great comedy comes from what that comedian sees in his life. With regards to the subject matter (race, family, flaws we have as people), that was where I found myself gravitating towards. In the beginning I used to write about what I thought would make the audience laugh, now I write what will make me laugh. To describe it as a brand, it is old-school. It is the way guys used to perform.

• Q

  

  Justin Hadley

  What was your hight and pit of your careers?

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  George Lopez says:

  The low point was in the mid-nineties when I was doing a lot of clubs and I never wanted to be considered a road comic and at that time I was it. It just seemed like there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel. It was like I was just on a treadmill of becoming that forever. There are a lot of high-points. Getting a call in 2001 that ABC bought the sitcom was amazing. There have been a lot of high-points that might not have happened if not for that.

• Q

  

  HBO

  That’s all the time we have for today’s Q&A. A big thank you to George Lopez for joining us. Is there anything else you’d like to say?

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  George Lopez says:

  To have a fan base and a following is a tremendous honor. To have people appreciate what you do. In a live chat, it is a great opportunity to say I appreciate you and thank you so much.