GEORGE LOPEZ: Much obliged.
KEVIN VLK: All righty.
Hello, everyone, welcome to
Talks at Google, I'm Kevin Vlk,
and today we're
welcoming George Lopez.
[APPLAUSE]
GEORGE LOPEZ: Thank
you, everybody.
Muchisimas gracias.
Thank you.
Gracias.
KEVIN VLK: I don't
know what that means.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Like, oh my
god, I'm so happy to be here.
KEVIN VLK: And I want to thank
our HOLA, Hispanic Googler
Network for also helping
us put this on today, so--
[APPLAUSE]
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah.
KEVIN VLK: Especially
[? Juani, ?] thank you.
And George, you can
currently see him
on his tour, which is the Black
and Brown Comedy Get Down Tour.
And you're touring with
some amazing people,
Cedric 'The Entertainer,'
Mike Epps, D.L. Hughley,
Eddie Griffin,
anyone else in this?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Charlie Murphy.
KEVIN VLK: Charlie Murphy.
GEORGE LOPEZ: D.L. Hughley.
Charlie Murphy.
Yeah, let's see.
Yeah, Mike Epps,
Cedric, D.L. Hughley,
Eddie Griffin,
Charlie, and myself.
And then it's called the Black
and Brown Comedy Get Down.
And then they said, well, you're
the only brown in the get down.
And I said, yeah, but
when you hire one brown,
they do the work of five people.
I'm the only brown they need.
And I organized it all myself.
They said, hey, I think George
Lopez put the stage together,
too.
Mike Epps, oh he can
put the stage together.
KEVIN VLK: That's amazing.
So you grew up in Mission
Hills, just outside of LA.
Right?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yes.
KEVIN VLK: Raised
by your grandmother.
And I read that you
wanted to comedy since you
were about 11 years old.
So what sparked that for you?
Did you grow up in
a comedic household?
Or where you just a goofball?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You know what,
there was humor in the, house
but from a negative point.
You know, I think sometimes the
negative is-- like, you know,
in the tour right now,
if you see a kid now,
you have to congratulate him
on everything that they do.
Like waking up.
Hey, hi, Ryan.
You woke up.
Hi.
I was at Coffee
Bean-- this is true,
this is where the
thing came from.
So I was at Coffee Bean,
and the father says,
can you go get me
some Sugar In The Raw?
And the kid walks across
Coffee Bean, and the dad's
complimenting,
you're walking great.
You're walking great.
You're walking great.
I'm like, what the?
So then, with me and my,
you know, negative positive.
The joke I say is, our
parents only congratulated us
when we did something bad.
Like if you crashed the
car, your whole family
was out front going, beautiful.
Congratulations.
Look what you did.
I don't know how you did
it, but you scratched
both sides of the car.
And I'm so proud.
I'm prouder that I cosigned.
But you know, it's
an easy-- you know,
like the formula for the comedy
came from the tough place
where I grew up.
But also because
everything was-- sometimes
when things are kind of
like, not going well,
it's the funniest.
You know, my grandmother,
who I miss, like every day.
And I never thought I
would miss her that much.
She told me, when I'm
gone, you're gonna miss me.
But you know what?
She was right.
So the one time, you
know, she had cancer,
so I was taking her to
radiation, you know.
And we get to the place,
and I said, OK Grandma, you
gotta go in there.
She goes, I don't
wanna go in there.
I said, Grandma, you
have to go in there.
The doctor's waiting for you.
And she goes, I'm
not going to go in.
I said, Grandma, you
have to go get radiation.
And she said, maybe I
don't want to be radiated.
So I thought all that was funny.
Me and her used to
have a great time.
So you know, not until, I
think, when my show started,
that "Time" magazine, they
wrote an article about me.
And then the guy in
the article said,
I think George
Lopez should thank
his grandmother for
his success, because it
seems to all come from her.
And it's true.
It's true, everything
came from her.
KEVIN VLK: That's amazing.
So I kind of want to talk about
getting your rise into comedy.
Because stand-up comedy
was huge in, like,
the '70s and the '80s, with
like, Pryor, Cosby, Seinfeld.
And then, kind of in
the late '80s and '90s
it started to kind of just sink.
And in the '90s, mid
'90s, it really hit low.
But that's kind of when
you were going through it.
So what kind of kept
you through, and kind of
finding your voice, and saying
that I could actually do this?
GEORGE LOPEZ: First of all,
I was afraid of everything,
growing up.
Afraid.
So I would quit if
it got scary to me.
Or if it got tough,
I would stop.
And when I was playing
baseball-- I loved baseball,
I still do-- but
when I was playing,
I got kicked off the team
for not being as disciplined
as somebody else.
And then the coach said to
me, you know your problem?
When it gets tough, you quit.
And it wasn't until, like
three years out of high school,
that I realized
that he was right.
Like, he had nailed it.
So I went back to
the school one day,
and I waited 'till
after baseball practice,
and I walked up to him, and
I apologized for the way
that I had treated him.
And that he had taught me an
incredible lesson, of when
things get tough,
things get better.
And that everything
that I wanted to quit,
I didn't after that.
And everything changed.
And then I met Arsenio
Hall in February of 1989,
his show had just started.
And that was a night that
I wasn't going to go.
It was a Wednesday, and I
said, nah, I'm not going to go.
And then I end up
convincing myself to go,
and then I met him.
And it really did change
the direction of my life.
Because not only did
I get an opportunity
to be on TV, on an
incredible show,
but I also made a friend
that, we're still very close.
We just went to a basketball
game, and we talk all the time.
And I met somebody that
kind of understands
what I was going through.
And it's a valuable friendship.
KEVIN VLK: So your
first time onstage,
was it good, or did you bomb?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Man.
So the first time I go
onstage, I'm scared to death.
And I had my friend
Ernie with me.
You know I did the
show, that guy Ernie,
there was a real Ernie.
And we went to-- it
was in Westwood--
and we bought-- I was 18,
I was still in high school.
And we paid a wino to go
into the liquor store,
and buy us a bottle of wine.
And then he gave us a little
bottle, and we're like,
don't they have bigger bottles?
He bought himself
a bigger bottle,
and gave us the little one.
We didn't give him
money to buy his wine,
but he used our money to buy it.
So I took a little
bit of a drink
to kind of sooth the nerves.
Didn't work.
But it is frightening.
You know, anything new, any job,
any place you move, any school,
education, people that you
meet, it's all-- initially,
your initial reaction is fear.
You know, you're a
little bit nervous,
you're a little bit afraid.
But then when you get past
that, and convince yourself
that you're in the
right place, you really
are in the right place.
KEVIN VLK: So what got
you back up on the stage?
If the first time was
scary and nerve-racking,
and stuff, or was it
just, hey, I can't quit?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You
know, I always felt
like I was little bit
different than everybody
that I had grown up around.
And even people in my family.
That I just felt a
little different.
It wasn't through
intelligence, no.
But I just felt a little
different in the way
that I thought, you know.
And I started to write notes
when I was 11 years old.
I still have some notebooks
from when I was 11.
And, yeah, I always thought
that I could be different.
Like I felt different.
Even when things
weren't going good,
I always felt that
I was different.
KEVIN VLK: So did
you have a mentor?
Kind of going through the
comedy circuit, someone who kind
of took you under their wing?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Well, you
know, I don't think I did.
You know, of the things that
I think I'm proudest of,
is that Freddie Prinze, Sr.,
from "Chico and the Man,"
was really the first person
that I saw that I said,
you know, I think
I could do this.
I think he had an album.
And he was Puerto
Rican and Hungarian,
and he was playing Mexican.
And then I said, you know, I
think this is a possibility.
So I started to focus
on him, and then
he committed suicide in 1977,
and I was in 10th grade.
It affected me a lot, because
I had been in love with him.
And then the first real loss
that I ever felt in my life,
that somebody that
I'd admired was gone.
And then Richard
Pryor, you know,
was somebody that I watched.
And my grandmother
was-- my grandmother
was not a fan of the
African American culture.
So I say the only black person
that my grandmother allowed
into the house was Richard
Pryor, on a VHS tape.
That was it.
All my friends would
have to stay outside,
even though when she left to
work, I brought them inside.
But she was very
backwards in her thinking.
But then also, I think
I told this story.
This is a true story.
Like, when my
grandmother started
to get dementia and a
little bit of Alzheimer's, I
didn't put her in a home.
I kept her in the house.
But then I needed
to hire nurses.
And I said, you know, I think
I'm gonna hire black nurses,
so that my grandmother
would learn a lesson in race
before she goes.
Right?
True story.
So I called the place, and
I said, I need some nurses.
And they said, what kind
of nurses do you need?
And I said black.
And then lady goes,
sir, we do not
give out our nurses by
the color of their skin,
but their qualifications.
What kind of
qualifications do you need?
I said, no, they
have to be black.
And she was like, who is this?
And I said, it's George Lopez.
And you know what the lady said?
How black?
There's the money.
I swear it, too.
How black?
And I said, now we're talking.
And then I had
some-- and you know,
the greatest thing
is, my grandmother,
they would sit next to
each other, and watch TV,
and say, this is my best friend.
And then I would
be like, she never
told me I was her best friend.
But you know, it worked out.
It worked out, yeah.
And then, it was years,
and she wouldn't go.
You know?
So I told her one
time, you know,
she had a hart thing
at the hospital.
I said, Grandma,
you know, can go.
She went like this.
She said, I'm not
going anywhere.
KEVIN VLK: So every
comedian kind of has, you
know, two stories from
kind of like, their tours.
It's kind of like their
biggest bomb, and also
just their weirdest, funnies
story from being on tour.
So do you have
one of those, kind
of when you were kind of
rising up through the ranks?
The most memorable moment?
GEORGE LOPEZ: I got a
gun pulled on me one time
in an alley in Indianapolis.
KEVIN VLK: That
took a dark turn.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah.
KEVIN VLK: Terrible
questions, interviewer.
Stop it.
GEORGE LOPEZ: I had a
guy pull a gun on me.
He didn't like
what I was saying,
and he says, get on your knees.
And I said, literally, I said,
I'm not getting on my knees.
He goes, get on your knees.
I said, I'm not gonna
get on my knees.
And then he said,
I remember he said,
I'm not going to
shoot you, because I
believe in apple pie and
America, or something
like that.
Was that in the Chevy slogan?
So he says, get out of here.
Like, he says, get out of here.
And he says, run.
And I'm like, I'm not gonna run.
So I didn't get on my
knees, because I'm not
going to do that, ever.
And then I didn't run,
because, you know, I'm Chicano,
I don't run.
And then, the minute I
turned the corner I took off.
I ran out of my jacket.
I was running, and
my jacket came off.
I looked back, I
just kept running.
I ran out of my jacket,
I was running so crazy,
my arms were flying,
my jacket came off.
And then I didn't
go back to get it.
I never ran out of my jacket.
But he didn't see me run.
He came around looking
for me, but I was gone.
KEVIN VLK: You know,
hearing your stand-up,
it seems to be all new material.
I know a lot of
comedians-- like Seinfeld,
he mixes kind of like his
greatest hits with new stuff.
And Louis C.K. kind of
starts fresh every time
he kinds of goes on tour.
So what's your process for
coming up with material?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You know, I kind
of weave stuff in and out.
You know, there's things that
are like synonymous with--
and I don't even know if they're
really jokes, per se, you know.
KEVIN VLK: They're stories.
GEORGE LOPEZ: They're,
yeah, kind of recollections.
You know, like, there's
the Jack in the Box one.
The Jack in the Box one
started because in Sacramento,
after we did the punchline,
I went to Jack in the Box,
and I rolled up
and the guy's like,
welcome to Jack in the
Bok, can I hep you?
And I was like, what?
And the guy's like, welcome to
Jack in the Bok, can I hel you?
I said, is this Jack in the Box?
He's like, say, Jack in
the Bok, can I hel you?
And I said, yeah, can I have--
just the way I laid it out
in the joke.
Can I have a jumbo jack?
You want a yumbo yak?
And he goes, frem fry?
Frem fry?
I said.
And then he's like,
papas fritas, stupid!
But he did say, he
said pexi, and esprite.
He said esprite.
Esprite.
So then the next night
I did it, and boom.
One time I was
outside of a club,
and these Latinos
were there, you know,
they were trying to
be, like, successful,
you know, they're sitting there.
And you know, and I'm
sitting right there.
So they're going,
remember that time?
And they're going,
remember that time we
went over to that place?
And they said, which place?
You member.
Member the place?
They go, member?
You member.
And they said, I don't member.
Yeah, you don't member?
And then it was all negative.
Member your mom
fe-- oh, yeah, that.
Yeah, it was all
around a negative.
Member your mom fell that time?
Oh, yeah, I member.
And that I did
that one, and then
that one became huge, as well.
So all of the-- I've got a pain
in my chest, I can't breathe.
That was one.
I know ha, was one.
I know ha.
And they say they
it all the time.
I hear it all the time.
So you know, I kind
of had-- you know,
I thought our culture was
funny enough to kind of--
and it's funny, because
it's not-- you know,
people say, aw, it's
making fun of it.
But you know, Bill Cosby,
or Seinfeld, or those guys,
they all had a thing.
And it's funny, Bill
Cosby, what you know?
Hey, the thing--
KEVIN VLK: Next question.
So--
GEORGE LOPEZ: I
say it almost like
in "The Silence of the Lambs."
It puts the lotion
in the basket.
KEVIN VLK: So Sandra Bullock,
and her production company,
they gave you your
big break on TV.
One of her scouts.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Sandra
Bullock did, yes.
KEVIN VLK: And I
did not know that.
That's really, really cool.
So she kind of noticed
that there wasn't really
a true, just Hispanic,
television show.
GEORGE LOPEZ: She
lives in Austin,
and she fell in love
with the culture.
And she started to say,
how come there's not-- I
think she had done
"Miss Congeniality,"
and then I think her
mom was not well,
she had kind of become kind of
distant from acting, you know,
because she was taking
care of her family.
So then she actually had a show
idea that was about teenagers,
like Latino teenagers.
And they wanted me to be the
father of these teenagers.
But the father, he wasn't
in the lead of the show,
the kids were.
So then I got her to come
and see me do stand up.
And after, she came back in,
and she goes, forget my idea.
I want to do what's in your
act, because that's the better
story.
And then I did the grandmother.
My Grandma's name was Bennie.
They lady on the show
was named Bennie.
My best friend was named Ernie.
The guy was named Ernie.
I was married, my wife was
named Ann, it was Angie.
Max was my grandmother's
dog's name.
I named him Max.
And Carmen was Cheech's
daughter's name.
I thought that that would
be a good one, Carmen.
And then the Powers
Aviation, I worked
at a place called Powers.
I shipped books, like back end.
You know, how to play
blackjack, how to read minds,
you know, those how to books,
like how to grow a garden.
I shipped books.
Like, I shipped.
Like I got the thing,
I put the box in there.
And the guy's name
was Melvin Powers.
And I remember one day, he
came and he had some guys,
he was taking a tour,
and he goes, hey, George,
how's everything?
And I said, great, Melvin.
And then he looked at me like,
did you just call me Melvin?
And I got fired that
day for calling him
Melvin, instead of Mr.
Powers, in front of guests.
So when I did my
TV show, I named
one of the guys Melvin Powers.
One of the brothers
that owned the place.
So I used all kind of real
life names and situations.
KEVIN VLK: And it
ran for six seasons,
and was successful on ABC,
but then it got canceled,
and then it found
a whole new life,
and was even more
successful in syndication.
So do you just think it
was ahead of its time,
or what attributes it to the
success that it had afterwards?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Well, you
know I think that, you know,
ABC moved it around
a little bit,
and then it struggled to
find, like, a main spot.
But people liked
it when I was on,
although it wasn't a big thing.
But I thought the
fact that people
could see it at the same time,
and see back to back episodes,
because we had 120 of
them, that it became--
and it hasn't been off
the air since 2002.
Professionally, I think it's
the thing I'm proudest of.
Because I took some
painful things in my life,
and I put them in that show.
And when I was younger
man, I'd gotten arrested,
and I was in jail in Van Nuys.
And I'm sitting
kind of like this.
And then somebody
sits next to me,
and they're wearing
toenail polish.
And I look down,
and I look up, it's
a guy in an orange jumpsuit,
with toenail polish,
and blond hair.
Big guy, sitting next to me.
So the guard comes to the
door, and he goes, Lopez?
And I stand up, and
the dude stands up.
And the guard goes,
no, Mrs. Lopez.
This is great.
And you know what, I
put that in the show.
That whole scene, where I was
in jail, and the guy came,
and thing, I put the whole
thing in there, word for word.
Word for word.
No, Mrs. Lopez.
Great.
KEVIN VLK: What I
was really shocked by
was that you were one
of only, actually,
four Hispanics to ever
really lead a sitcom.
It was Desi in "I Love Lucy,"
Freddie, who you mentioned,
in "Chico and the Man,"
Paul Rodriguez in "Pablo."
But these were TV shows
really aired decades apart.
"Lucy" in the '50s,
"Chico" in the '70s,
"Pablo" in the '80s, and
then almost 20 years gap
until your show in 2002.
So why the long
gaps, do you think?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Well, no
disrespect to Paul Rodriguez,
but a.k.a.
Pablo only was on three
weeks, and I was on 120.
So Desi Arnaz was
Cuban, and it was
called "I Love Lucy." "Chico
and the Man" was Freddie Prinze,
and Chico was his name.
George Lopez.
KEVIN VLK: So you're the first.
GEORGE LOPEZ: The
only Mexican, so far.
So that's impressive.
[APPLAUSE]
KEVIN VLK: Were
there any TV shows
that you watched
when you grew up
that influenced you
to create your show,
or was it all just kind of
pulled from your stand-up?
GEORGE LOPEZ: No, I think, like,
you know, "Taxi," or "Barney
Miller," or, you know,
"Rosanne," and stuff like that
was really influential.
Seinfeld, and, you know.
It's interesting, you
never know what you put out
to the universe, like you never
really think about-- you know,
people can make themselves
sick by worrying,
and people can make
themselves better
by being happy, and
being cheerful, and being
positive, and being kind.
And just, you know, putting
out positive energy.
I used to watch Drew Carey, and
Bruce Helford and Drew Carey
created the show.
And I would say to the
TV, I would be like--
because I knew Drew
Carey-- I would say, man,
where's my Bruce Helford at?
Where's my Bruce Helford?
So when I did George Lopez,
I did it with Bruce Helford.
Is that crazy?
KEVIN VLK: Wow.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah.
And then I told my wife the
story about Bruce Helford,
the one time we were
doing interviews,
and I was in the
hallway, and he was
on the TV in the hallway
talking about me.
And started crying,
because I was like,
you know, there he is.
KEVIN VLK: Wow.
How are you able to--
because you appeal
to such a diverse audience.
Is that a conscious
decision, or are you
just kind of, what's
funny is funny?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Well, listen, I
mean, if you look like this.
I mean, anybody could look like
Mario Lopez and be successful.
You know, try looking like this.
You've gotta be funny to be
successful and look like this.
So I just thought
that-- you know,
at first people
thought it was really
kind of Latino based humor,
and then if you look at it now,
it's very social and economic
levels of things that we did.
And you look at things that
Latinos do, just in general,
like you have a dining room
table with every chair's
different.
You know.
All the pots and
pans are in the oven.
You know.
You know what I mean?
You're like, where are the pots?
They're in the oven.
Everything's in the oven.
Oh my god, I mean, there's
so many things that my--
KEVIN VLK: If you guys
want to start lining up
for questions, too,
we're going to start
answering your questions.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Also, my
grandmother never put
anything in a Ziploc bag.
So you would eat ice cream,
and it tasted like tamales,
because the tamales that
were in there from Christmas,
the fragrance had gotten
into the ice cream.
And then you're eating ice
cream, and you're like,
this tastes like tamales.
And then the whole
thing, I really
did make snow
cones from scraping
the ice from the
freezer, and putting 7UP.
You know, what's crazy now too,
is kids are like engineers.
You know what we did?
As an engineer, we'd
try to fill the ice tray
to make ice without spilling
it before you got it
to the refrigerator.
That was our engineering.
Making Kool-Aid with cellophane
on top, with toothpicks
so that you've got a little,
like a toothpick ice cube,
that tasted like
chorizo from the thing.
Or foil.
Like, I would bring a
plate back with foil,
and then the guy would be going,
my mom wants her foil back.
And it was over the plate.
Yeah, they fold it
and put in there.
KEVIN VLK: Oh my
god, that's so funny.
And then, so you
went from your sitcom
over to "Lopez Tonight," on TBS.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah.
KEVIN VLK: And so, what was
the biggest difference for you,
going from-- obviously,
other than the format--
but going from a sitcom with
multiple cameras, to a--
GEORGE LOPEZ: You
know what the thing
is, you never want to work in
a place where you're stifled.
Like every day, you
go, and they tell you
you can't do something.
The talk show, it lasted two
years, but every day was,
you don't, you can't do
this, you can't do that.
Too many Latinos are watching.
Not enough women are watching.
Too many women are watching.
Too many Latinos are watching.
Too many black
people are watching.
Not enough black
people are watching.
And every day, it was that.
So even the last two
years, was amazing,
because, you know,
they say they want you,
and then they bring you in, and
then they make you different.
And I didn't want
to be different.
That's what I love
about stand-up,
is that nobody can say what
you can say or not say.
You know, they either
laugh, or they don't laugh.
I'll take that risk.
KEVIN VLK: And what
was the biggest lesson
you learned just from doing a
sitcom and doing a talk show?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You
know what, you learn
to be dedicated to
your work, and to be
prepared all the time.
That this business
is tough enough
for anybody of any color,
but the lack of preparation,
or when you're not sufficiently
educated or prepared,
can hurt you.
And then you think it's
because of you or what you are,
but really it's just that
you're just not prepared.
So it taught me to work
while people were sleeping,
and to write while
people were resting.
And I dedicated to my work
to myself, and it worked out.
KEVIN VLK: Yeah.
And then you transitioned
to-- well, not transitioned,
but you've done a
lot movies, too.
With critical success,
with "Real Women Have
Curves," "Bread and Roses,"
and now, "Spare Parts,"
which just came out in January.
And that's based on
a true story of four
undocumented Mexican
American teenagers
from Phoenix, who team up for
an underwater robot competition,
national robotics competition.
Marisa Tomei is in it.
So I've seen a lot of
comedians, you included,
do some of their
best work in drama.
You are a very, very good
dramatic actor in your movies.
Patton Oswalt did it in
"Young Adult" and "Big Fan."
And Jim Carrey,
"Eternal Sunshine."
Robin Williams in "Good Will
Hunting" and "What Dreams
may Come."
So what do you think it is
about comedians just being
really good dramatic actors?
Because you're really good.
GEORGE LOPEZ: I think that
there's kind of a built in,
when you take a couple
of hits, and you
know what it's
like to have pain,
and you tap into what is
natural, in kind of our lives.
That things, of
people that have left,
or things that you felt,
that you kind of carry.
And it does help you become
a more dramatic actor.
But, you know, in that
movie, "Spare Parts,"
which is a very important move
because of these kids doing
something, pretty
much impossible, that
for Latino kids
from Arizona could
create a robot for under $800.
Wire it, and do the
coding all themselves.
And beat MIT.
And beat Stanford, and
Harvard, and Cornell.
And they beat everybody.
And they only
entered-- you know,
this is a very Latino
thing-- they entered
not to lose to high schools, but
never thinking about winning.
So they didn't
say, we just don't
want to lose to high
schools, they never thought,
we could win.
So we have to change
that thinking, too,
that you can win.
And you can beat, if you
think you're the best,
you could beat
anybody who thinks
they're as good as you
are, if not better.
KEVIN VLK: Wow.
All right, we'll take
an audience question.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yes.
AUDIENCE: First of all, thanks
for coming to Google, George.
GEORGE LOPEZ: No, hey,
listen, thank you, Google.
[APPLAUSE]
I'm deeply touched.
You know, Ming, my friend,
has been very kind to me.
He's my brother, right there.
So, Ming.
I met Ming at MIT,
with the Dalai Lama.
Ming is, how long have
you known His Holiness?
MING: I don't know, many years.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Many years.
So I, a practicing
Buddhist, I'm trying.
But you know what a trip it
is, that my grandmother would
see them around San
Fernando, and tease them.
And then they were always
around me, so I said,
there has to be a reason why
they're always around me,
so I met Ming through that.
Yes, sir.
AUDIENCE: Thank you for coming
to the Pebble Beach tournament
as frequently as you do.
You and Bill Murray
make the tournament,
so please continue
coming to that.
GEORGE LOPEZ: I love golf.
You know, I never would imagine
that I would be a golfer,
but you know, it taught me
things that a human being
didn't teach me.
KEVIN VLK: Well, we've got
mini putt- putt out here.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah,
I'll go there.
AUDIENCE: So, George, I'm
not much on the links,
but I happen to be a
professional mini golf player.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Nice.
AUDIENCE: So, I challenge
you to a one hole challenge,
winner take all.
Prize--
GEORGE LOPEZ: What are those?
Pajamas?
AUDIENCE: An Android onsie.
GEORGE LOPEZ: A one piece?
AUDIENCE: That's right.
GEORGE LOPEZ: All
right, after we're done.
AUDIENCE: It's on.
GEORGE LOPEZ: All right.
AUDIENCE: Thank you, sir.
KEVIN VLK: I'll walk you out.
GEORGE LOPEZ: I won't lose.
[APPLAUSE]
Now that there's a flap
in the back, tambien.
KEVIN VLK: See Hector
on your way out.
GEORGE LOPEZ: If it
didn't have a flap,
I'm not sure I would play
you, but that had a flap.
KEVIN VLK: Next question.
AUDIENCE: You talk a lot about,
or you did earlier, about fear.
And I'm thinking about Latino
households, especially those
without a lot of resources, just
how much heartache there is.
Because it's tough.
It's tough for parents,
it's tough for kids,
yet that humor is there.
And that, like, resilience.
And that, like,
even if you're never
given positive
reinforcement, you
know, like other families
are, people make it.
And I'm wondering, I just feel
that anxiety and depression
are so prevalent, and humor
is such an antidote for that.
And just wondering how you
think about your ability
to influence.
I'm thinking about dads
out there, who are like,
they're beating down
their own demons,
and trying to raise kids
and not transmit that pain.
What are your thoughts?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You know,
that is a great question,
because I didn't have a father.
I never met my father.
And my mother was
not well, mentally.
And I took a lot
of abuse as a kid.
And my grandparents
were disconnected,
and never encouraging to me.
Never encouraging to me.
And I just didn't want to become
what I had seen, or was seeing.
You know, and it's very
difficult, even now,
but that is definitely right.
There is a responsibility
that fathers have,
and family has, to at least
encourage, or talk to, or not
talk at, or scream at children.
Because a wound,
it stays with you.
And then, like something
kind, stays with you too.
Because I was always the darkest
of anybody of my friends.
And I always felt bad about it.
Like, you know,
all Mexicans have
a lemon tree in the backyard.
So I used to rub
lemons on my arms,
to try to lighten my skin.
Didn't work.
But then one of the first
complements that I ever
really remember getting was,
I was at a department store,
and an African American
woman said to me,
you have beautiful skin.
Beautiful color skin.
And I never forgot it.
And it meant a lot.
So even little
encouraging things
mean a lot to kids,
and to people.
And that's what I think
we should pass on,
is that critical
is too critical,
and somewhere in between.
Where you can't coddle
everybody, but also,
you can't give them
everything, either.
AUDIENCE: Thanks.
GEORGE LOPEZ: So, thank you.
Was that a good answer?
Because that was long.
AUDIENCE: Hi, thank
you for joining us.
I had a question on
Hollywood and globalization.
And you were mentioning,
you know, these audiences.
What do you see in
the next 20 years
for entertainment, globally?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Well, you know,
what I would like to see,
which I think is we're
suffering a little bit from,
is when movies are made, they're
made for a particular audience.
And you look at movies that
are predominantly all white,
or a movie that's
predominantly all black.
And I think we have to start
to incorporate, instead
of trends of actors, an actual
diversity of actors in movies.
When they cast movies, that
it looks more like real life.
You know, Woody
Allen does movies,
and there's never anybody
of any color in the movies.
And it's a little
bit of a disservice,
that you see a guy that's
such a great filmmaker,
and he chooses to do a
movie like that in New York,
and it doesn't
look like New York.
So incorporating
diversity, and I
don't think there is even an
organization that makes sure
that there is
diversity in movies.
But the producers, and
the people that write,
and the movie studios
have to be more
responsible in getting more
of a mix of what looks like.
You know, Asian, and what
the world looks like.
Yeah, so, absolutely.
And then when I did my show,
I tried to include everybody.
I think that's one
of the reasons why
it's so successful, is that
I tried to include everybody.
And not exclude
anybody, but include.
Like, you know, with my
humour, it may, at times,
look like it's divisive, but
it's meant to be inclusive,
to where we say, you
know, we're here too.
We matter.
You know the Mexican
director that won an Academy
Award for "Bird Man,"
and then everybody's
pissed off because he's
Mexican, and he's from Mexico.
And even Sean Penn,
who-- that's cool,
if they're friends,
that's all right.
But to say, you know, who
gave this guy his green card,
as a joke?
Maybe, you know, in a bar,
but not at the Oscars,
because it's hard to tell
if that's a joke or not.
You know, and even though
they're friends, you know,
this and that, there's a place
for it, and a place not for it.
But you know, Donald Trump.
So you see Donald Trump
like Captain America.
He says, you know, Mexico
is sending over criminals.
We're not all criminals.
Some are, most aren't.
But then he's like, you know,
we've got to close the border,
this guy wins an Academy Award.
And he puts in a tweet,
Mexico, pay me back the money
you owe me.
So I Tweeted him back,
listen, if you ever
lend money to a
Mexican, you know
you don't get it all right away.
You're going to
get installments.
And I put
#igetpaideverytwoweeks,
#ihavemydaughterthisweekend,
#illpayyounexttimeiseeyou.
So, you know, there's
humor in that.
But ignorance, I think,
is the enemy of us,
not anybody of any
particular color.
I think ignorance is
the enemy, not people.
Stupid people, at least.
KEVIN VLK: Well,
I read an article,
and it must be true,
because I read it.
But Hispanics comprise the
fastest growing demographic
in the US box office.
So they're actually
contributing almost 20%
of the US box office
revenue of all movies.
And they represent only about
17.5% of the population.
So it's huge.
And it's interesting that
movies just aren't-- is that
the politics of
Hollywood, and stuff?
Do you want to change it?
Can you change it?
GEORGE LOPEZ: I think can.
You know, I produced
"Spare Parts."
You know it's harder to
find movies like that.
But you keep doing
movies, and then
keep-- you know, we did
"Rio," probably made
a billion dollars, both movies.
And the director
was from Brazil.
And he had great music.
I mean, great, great music.
And he actually wanted
me to try to speak
with a Brazilian accent.
And I tried, like,
I had a coach.
I'm like, oh my god,
this isn't going to work.
And then, thank god
that Fox told him,
listen, if we hire George Lopez,
we want that bird to sound
like George Lopez.
Phew.
Thank god.
But I've done a
lot with the voice.
You know, the voice
is very recognizable.
You know, a very
recognizable voice,
that I didn't think, you
know, anything of it.
And then sometimes I'll
call a place, and I'll say,
hey, what time do
you guys close?
And they're like, who is this?
But in those movies, you know,
in "Beverly Hills Chihuahua,"
and what other ones?
KEVIN VLK: "Rio."
GEORGE LOPEZ: "Rio." "Smurfs."
I'm a Smurf!
Like a Chicano Smurf.
Grouchy.
KEVIN VLK: Grouchy,
doesn't fit you.
GEORGE LOPEZ: And I think
they had him like that,
too, in one picture.
KEVIN VLK: Do you enjoy doing
the voiceover work in a booth?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You
know what, I do.
I enjoy contributing, so
kids have something to watch.
You know, that kids
have something to watch.
It's important, because I never
thought of myself like either
a leader in any way, or more
important than anybody else,
but I always respect the past.
You know, like I have a star
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
and I got it the day that the
show had the hundredth episode,
that day.
And the guy said
to me, I think we
want to put a star
into the Walk of Fame.
And I said, I can do it.
I can't go in until
Freddie Prinze goes in.
And then he said,
I think he's in.
And I said, I don't think so.
So they checked,
and he wasn't in.
And I paid the money
so that Freddie Prinze
could have his star.
And I was there, and
his son was there,
and his ex-wife was
there, and his mom
was on the phone from
Puerto Rico and crying.
So that, the mom was, wow, man.
Because, you know, everybody
kind of forgot about him,
and the mom said to me,
if Freddie was alive,
you guys would be friends.
And I was like, that's nice.
I'm not crying at Google.
Nobody cries at Google.
KEVIN VLK: Somebody
give him a hug.
GEORGE LOPEZ: I'm gonna
go somewhere, I'm gonna.
AUDIENCE: Why are you crying?
GEORGE LOPEZ: I know,
why are you crying?
AUDIENCE: Why are you crying?
GEORGE LOPEZ: All
right, now I'm over it.
KEVIN VLK: It's the lights.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Now I'm
over it, I'm over it.
So the next one I did, that
I had to do, to honor-- thing
was that Richard Pryor
had a statue in Peoria
that was half done.
And then I asked all those
guys to help me raise the money
to get the statute done.
And then we raised
the money, and I
think the statue is going to
be unveiled in May, completely
done, in his hometown.
And I think, so, I've done that
to the people that, you know,
inspired me.
That was nice.
KEVIN VLK: Awesome.
[APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: Odelay, George,
what's going on, man?
GEORGE LOPEZ: What's happening?
AUDIENCE: First, I
want to say thanks
for coming through, to Google.
Seriously, it's been amazing.
Like, if there was
like a heat map,
of like, where the
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
at, it would be, like really
red in this area right now.
[APPLAUSE]
And I think it's due to
you, and your presence.
Seriously, I have been a fan,
like, for the longest time,
since you were in radio.
And just a long time.
So I wanted to say, you
know, I see you sort of as,
like-- you know, the
movie, "Spare Parts,"
I thought that that was like a
modern day "Stand and Deliver."
Like that story was
resonating again,
for like, the audiences
that were growing up now.
So, you know, like, how
do I reach these kids?
You know what I mean?
I wanted to say, what do
you think about TV now?
Like if you look, I mean, we
have "Cristela," "Blackish,"
"Fresh Off the Boat."
You know, TV's become
a little more colored.
And I like it, but I wanted to
see what your take is on it.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Those are all
ABC shows, too, by the way.
AUDIENCE: Yeah.
GEORGE LOPEZ: So ABC, I think
ABC leads the way in diversity
on TV.
You know, culture.
You know, when I was on TV,
Damon Wayans had a show at ABC.
Wanda Sykes was at Fox.
Bernie Mac, god rest him, was
over there at Fox, as well.
And there was much
more diversity in TV
10 years ago than there is now.
And that's the saddest
part, is that as we
progress as a culture,
and get more intelligent,
that we leave that impression
that people don't matter.
They do matter.
Everybody's like everybody else.
You know, you're human.
But if you watch TV,
and kids see that,
they need to see people
that look like them.
They need to people
that sound like them.
And they need to see
people that make them
feel good about who they are.
You know, I got a message from
a Chicano kid at, I think,
UC Irvine, that the
professor told him
that Chicano was a derogatory
term for a Mexican.
And I said, no, that's not true.
And he says, well
he thinks it is.
I said, I'll tell you what,
I'm gonna name my next tour,
and I'm gonna put Chicano in
the title for your professor.
And I started
thinking, wow, what?
So somebody said tall,
dark, and handsome.
And I said, wait a minute.
So my tour in the HBO
special, the 15,000 seat one,
was called "Tall,
Dark & Chicano."
So I did it, and I sent
the teacher a DVD of the--
[APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: So I get
another chance?
Is that it?
KEVIN VLK: Yeah,
sure, you're up here.
Come on, ask another question.
AUDIENCE: I guess part
of it, to let you know,
is that I feel like
you've obviously
been like an innovator,
and like a person that's
been able to cross
a lot of boundaries.
A lot of borders within
television and entertainment
and stuff.
How do you see your
role developing now,
as you become wiser
and more-- as a bigger
figure in Hollywood, how do you
see your role of bringing up
the young [SPEAKING SPANISH]?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You know what?
It's interesting
that you say that,
because we talked
about it at lunch.
I'm going to produce a
television show, "Stand-ups,"
and we're going to try to
find the next stand-ups,
the next generation
of stand-ups.
Male, and female, and gay,
and straight, and creative.
However we gotta find
them, I'm gonna do a show
and host it, and produce
it, and find them.
And not necessarily Latino,
I'm gonna do it for everybody.
Because that's important.
I mean, it would be a disservice
for me to do all this,
and then leave nothing.
Leave no influence behind,
other than people watching me.
And I don't want to
watch me no more.
KEVIN VLK: Well,
it's a great time
to do it, because comedy
clubs, and comedians,
and stand-up is at
a peak right now.
Just all these comedians.
GEORGE LOPEZ: And
you know, the thing,
like, Carnival Cruise Lines,
you know, they came to me,
I think three years ago, and
they said, can we use your name
on all the cruise ships?
So all the cruise
ships have my name
and my picture on the stage.
So that was a big thing for me,
that kind of, like the brand
would cross over into
something like Carnival.
George Lopez, you know, nice.
KEVIN VLK: That's
interesting, because I also
read that you turned down
a role in the 1995 movie,
"Desperado," with
Antonio Banderas.
You didn't like how it promoted
negative images of Latinos.
So do you do that a lot,
where you're just like, no, I
can't be involved with this.
It's not my brand.
GEORGE LOPEZ: You
know what, I do.
Because for me,
particularly, I can't do it.
So when that movie-- it's
funny, because you know,
you always get your integrity
questioned, you know.
Like, I remember, I
read for the movie.
Salma Hayek's in it.
Antonio Banderas is in it.
Robert Rodriguez
is directing it.
So they called me,
and they said, hey,
they're offering you
a part in "Desperado."
And I said, yeah, what part?
And they said, a drug runner.
And then I literally
said, how much drugs
and how much running?
But I turned it down.
And then Robert and
I became friends,
and he understood completely.
But, you know, for
me, I mean, everybody
has to do what's right for them.
I couldn't do it.
AUDIENCE: Hi, George, it's
really nice to have you here.
Thank you so much.
And you thanked us,
but you need to know
it's a really big deal for us to
have El Mas Chingon at Google.
It's huge, so thank
you for coming.
[APPLAUSE]
And you have a room--
GEORGE LOPEZ: I like the
El Mas Chingon title.
I like that.
AUDIENCE: That is
super official.
Many of us like the cars
loves [? chingonas ?].
GEORGE LOPEZ: Si.
AUDIENCE: Thank
you for leadership.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yes.
GEORGE LOPEZ: And
my question though,
is you mentioned
earlier you used
Twitter to respond to Donald
Trump, which is awesome.
You're really using technology
to voice your opinions
and represent your community.
You have a room full
of a lot of Latinos
at Google, and our friends,
so it's really cool
to hear that you're
using technology
as a platform for your voice.
And I'd love to hear what
you think about social media,
your use of maybe even YouTube.
How is that a part of your life,
and maybe even your strategy
as you think about your work?
GEORGE LOPEZ: You know, it is
an important thing, you know.
There's a kind of a free
association in Twitter
that's a little
bit mean, you know.
Like bullying, and things
with kids and things
that are very hurtful.
So I'd actually like to see
a little social media take
a little bit more responsibility
for filtering and sending
things that aren't
appropriate to a place
that you can suspend an
account, or do something.
Because that seems
to be something
that, because of the value
that we put on things instead
of people, that people
are made to feel inferior
because they don't I have
what someone else has.
But really, it's not
about what they have,
it's about what's inside.
So there is kind of a mob thing
going on with social media.
But as far as-- you know, I'm
not going to say the F-word--
Google+, Facebook.
They said, don't say the F-word.
But I'm gonna get on Google+,
and I'm gonna build that.
I'm gonna build that.
Then I'm gonna get the glasses,
and I'm gonna live in my house,
but go all over the world.
AUDIENCE: And now what
about YouTube as a platform
from for content?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Absolutely.
You know, if a filmmaker,
or somebody who
is a creative, or blog writers.
You don't have to
necessarily get a book deal
to become a successful
writer or blogger.
So YouTube, yes.
You know, now with
computers, you
can generate things, animation,
you could do all those things.
So YouTube is viable
for that, for somebody
to leave work, you
know, little movies,
and little things behind.
So absolutely.
You can't say that,
oh, there's not
an opportunity, when
there's an opportunity
at your fingertips every day.
So yes, incredibly.
And you can kind of watch of
a person's-- you know, like,
when someone used to
say, who do you like?
And then you'd have to
either go watch somebody,
or audit a class, or something.
But now, if somebody
wanted to be an actor,
or learn how to play guitar,
or to learn how to do this,
it's all at your fingertips.
So there's no
excuse to say, well,
I don't know how to do that.
Or I can't get
there and do that.
You can go all over the world.
There's no excuses.
I always try to find
an excuse, but--
AUDIENCE: The last thing I'll
say is, I wanted to thank you.
Last time I saw you live
was you were speaking
at the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus event about what
it means to be part
of a community that
is advancing itself through
education, through hard work.
So I want to thank you for
your involvement in that space.
And I love that you made a joke
about the Secretary of Labor
being Latina.
I think you said
something like, she
isn't trying to promote
finding workers at Home Depot,
but really good hard
work, and thank you
to them for their efforts.
So thank you, I really
appreciate you being here.
GEORGE LOPEZ: You know a
great joke that I told?
I was at the White House
with Obama, and everybody.
And Sonia Sotomayor, you know,
the first woman Latina Supreme
Court, you know.
So she's there, right?
So the President's over
here, and she's over there.
And I say to the
President, I say,
you've got a Latina
Supreme Court justice.
And then I said, in
front of the President,
I said, good luck getting her
to zip her robe all the way up.
Right?
Because you know, Latinas like
to throw a little, you know.
And the President
goes, hey, hey, hey.
And I look over, she's wearing
a low cut-- I said, look.
And she was like, oh, my god.
But I said, come on.
It's what it was.
Like, even he was
like, hey, hey, hey.
And I said, look, and she
had a low cut, you know.
She's fun.
I mean, she's a very nice lady,
and incredibly intelligent,
and you know.
I was involved in those
campaigns, 2008 and '12.
KEVIN VLK: Well, you talked
about-- or, back in 2010
you said you may want
to run as mayor for LA
in about eight years.
So it's, yeah, so
2015, three years away.
Is that still something
you want to look at?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah.
KEVIN VLK: Hey, look at that.
[APPLAUSE]
GEORGE LOPEZ: I do.
I want to be mayor
of Los Angeles,
but I want to be mayor--
because there's already
big businesses there
already, so we just
need to take care of the
schools and the streets,
and just have a
little bit more pride.
The mayor, you know,
no offense to him,
but he's a little bit vacant.
And we're usually used to having
a mayor that's a little bit
more present.
So I would run on the
campaign that I would be there
when you needed me.
And then we did I a hashtag,
best mayor with the best hair.
So that was the hashtag.
KEVIN VLK: We'll
get the buttons.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah.
[SPEAKING SPANISH] mayor.
KEVIN VLK: So you can talk a
little bit about your George
Lopez Foundation?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Yeah.
You know, I was born
with kidney disease,
and I didn't realize it
until it was way advanced.
You know, kidney disease
is a kind of a slow thing,
and it shows as fatigue.
You know, a lot of people
are fatigued, and they say,
you know, I'm so tired.
And you think it's because
you're working hard.
So when I got well,
almost 10 years ago,
that I decided
that-- and I remember
telling my doctor this.
I said, I just want to go in,
I just want to get this done.
I don't want to become a
poster boy for kidney disease.
I just want to get well, and I
just want to go back to work,
you know.
And then when I was
laying in the hospital
after I'd had it
done, maybe a day.
I had it done on a
Tuesday or Wednesday.
Thursday morning when I got up,
was clearer than I'd ever been,
and I was healthy
for the first time.
At that moment, I
decided that I could not
turn my back on people who
are sick, especially kids.
So I have a foundation
that raises money
to send kids to camp
who are on dialysis,
or are awaiting transplants,
or have had transplants,
so that they get
to be like kids.
You know, and go out and
fish, and play basketball,
and be around kids that
are just like them.
So I do that a
couple times a year.
And then also, just to raise
awareness for kidney disease,
but also for just
health, overall.
Because the thing that
I was a victim of,
was that as a culture, we don't
necessarily go to the doctor.
As my grandmother would say
so perfectly, hey, Grammy,
you should go to the doctor.
No, porque they're going
to find something wrong.
I actually heard somebody
go to the doctor,
find out that he was sick, and
get mad at his wife, and said,
you made me go to the
doctor and now I'm sick.
I wasn't sick yesterday, and
now I gotta keep going back.
That's why I didn't want to go.
Because if you go once, they're
gonna make you keep going back,
and that's how they get you.
You keep going back.
So we do need to-- I mean,
clearly, here everybody
eats well.
You can even eat
the flowers here.
So that thing, of
eating the right things.
And already, Latinos,
we eat a lot of fruit,
we just put chili on it.
So we have to put half chili.
Low sodium [SPEAKING SPANISH].
KEVIN VLK: Well, thank
you for everything
you do with your foundation.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Oh, it's
an honor, thank you.
KEVIN VLK: It's wonderful.
[APPLAUSE]
GEORGE LOPEZ: It's an honor.
I can't believe it.
AUDIENCE: George,
I'd be so excited
for you to run for mayor in LA.
You have no idea.
I think you have an army
of people that will--
GEORGE LOPEZ: I think
I would win, right?
AUDIENCE: --picket.
Yeah.
GEORGE LOPEZ: You know, Arnold
Schwarzenegger became governor,
he didn't know nothing, either.
I don't like that now.
You get down.
You know, I've
messed with Arnold.
You know, because I
don't mess around.
Like, if I go after
somebody, I go after them.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, I went
after him in an HBO special.
He was for English only.
And I said, he don't
even speak English.
So, you know, I said FTP
to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And then I go to a
boxing match, and who
sits down right next to me?
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And I'm like-- I look
at him, and I go,
this is going to
be uncomfortable.
And then I said, you know I
make fun of you in my stuff?
Yes, I know that you talk about
the FTP, I know what that is.
He was governor.
And then they showed me
on TV, and they cheered.
And they showed
him and they booed.
And then I leaned into his
camera, I went like this.
AUDIENCE: I love it, in
case you were interested.
So I grew up in Miami, which
is predominantly Latino.
And I've lived in
places like Boston.
GEORGE LOPEZ: What do
you mean, predominantly?
It is.
If you go to-- I went to the
Bonnev-- what do they call it?
Fountainebleau.
AUDIENCE: Fountainebleau, yeah.
GEORGE LOPEZ: And you
go to the front desk,
and they said
[SPEAKING SPANISH],
and they don't even say, hi,
welcome to the Fountainebleau.
AUDIENCE: No, you're lost
if you speak English there.
So I've lived in places like
Boston, San Fransisco, even LA,
where I'm noticing
over the last,
like 10, 15 years, that it's
just getting whitewashed.
And so, you know, thinking
about your future campaign,
how would you think
about-- like what's
the thing that we can do as
Latinos in places of power
to keep Latinos in some
of these urban centers?
That's question one.
Question two is,
like, what do you
think we can do, even
just as citizens here,
to make that easier
for Latinos to stay?
GEORGE LOPEZ: Well, I think
everybody has to vote.
Everybody that's capable of
voting, whatever color you are,
needs to vote.
Especially Latinos,
because we have
to be the voice for the
people that don't have a vote.
So we have to be their voice.
So to not vote not only
hurts them, it hurts us.
Because the Republicans,
they always vote.
So they're relying on the fact
that we're not gonna vote,
and that's how
they're gonna win,
because they have
higher voter turnout.
But we also need to remember
that it is important,
and people lost their
lives in order to vote.
So that it's
important, because now,
because of the diversity and
the way the country's changing,
you can change politics.
You could change the way things
work by just going to vote,
and being there.
But also, in the first part is
that you need to-- you know,
we talked about mentoring
people, and looking out
for people, and asking
questions of them.
And leading them to places
where they can get information.
And just being almost--
not a mentor, so much,
as being supportive of somebody.
Yeah, it goes a long
way, too, because when
I was in elementary
school, the first time
I ever heard somebody say
that you could be a success
and you could be whatever
you wanted to be.
It was in the auditorium at
San Fernando Elementary School,
and it was a baseball
player, and he
was kind of motivate-- nobody
was really paying attention
to him.
I did.
And I'd never heard
anybody say it, and said
I've never forgotten that.
I was probably seven.
And I used that as
kind of, my motto,
as I went through
school, and realized
that nobody in my family had
graduated from high school.
I was the first one.
And then, my daughter
Maya, I think,
is going to be the-- you
know, I named her Maya,
because clearly-- is going to be
the first one to go to college.
So, yeah.
[APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
GEORGE LOPEZ: She's going to
one that doesn't cost a lot.
No, no.
But that makes me proud,
is that she, you know,
wanted to do that.
KEVIN VLK: And so just
one final question.
If you-- it's kind of
cheesy-- but, like,
if you could tell your
younger self anything--
GEORGE LOPEZ: Oh, yeah.
KEVIN VLK: --what would that
be in terms of the advice?
GEORGE LOPEZ: I would
probably say, don't be afraid.
You're gonna be great.
And always believe in yourself,
and trust your own instincts.
Because we all have great
instincts that we come with.
And if you rely on
those to guide you,
because it is that good things--
and if you make a mistake,
it'll be your mistake.
And if you achieve
success, you can
be incredibly proud of
yourself for taking a risk
and trusting your intuition.
So would say to trust yourself.
KEVIN VLK: Wonderful.
Thank you, George,
for being here.
[APPLAUSE]
GEORGE LOPEZ:
Seriously, thank you.
Thank you, everybody.
Thank you.
KEVIN VLK: Thank you, everyone.
GEORGE LOPEZ: You
guys are great.
KEVIN VLK: See you next time.
GEORGE LOPEZ: Thank you so much.
