George Lopez is known to dog lovers as a judge on “World’s Most Amazing Dog,” but his long career extends far beyond that.
Actor and comedian George Lopez has been entertaining audiences for quite a long time, and he’s been a big fan of dogs for nearly as long.
He’s known for his self-titled ABC sitcom and recent voiceover work in animated films, as well as his live-action film roles.
He’s currently a judge on the first season of Facebook Watch talent series World’s Most Amazing Dog, which has new episodes drop each Thursday night.
Lopez was kind enough to do a phone interview with Dog O’Day earlier this week, talking about his coworkers, the importance of giving a pet proper attention, and his voice acting career.
(Some light editing has been done to this transcript for clarity purposes.)
Dog O’Day – What is your favorite part of working on World’s Most Amazing Dog?
George Lopez – “I think my favorite is how you kind of see dogs trying to outdo each other, you know? Like, when we first started you’d see these videos and go, ‘Okay, a dog that can do an obstacle course. Where are we gonna go from here?’
“Then you go to a dog that does CPR, a dog that can say ‘I love you,’ a dog that plays the piano…so the biggest thing for me would be that you see something that you just can’t imagine a dog would be able to do. And you just keep seeing things like that!”
How did you get involved with the show?
“It’s funny – somebody that I worked with on another show knew that I was a dog lover, and knew about World’s Most Amazing Dog, and so was like, ‘What about George? He’s a dog lover,” and they were like, ‘Oh, he’d be perfect!’
“Myself and Lisa Vanderpump is a great duo, and Preacher Lawson, from America’s Got Talent, he’s been a great host. And the episodes aren’t long, they’re between eighteen to twenty minutes, not long at all. And it is something that is fun to do, and you’re not there on set for ever. And even if you’re watching it, it doesn’t last forever but you do have a very good time and it’s very enjoyable.”
What are Lisa and Preacher like to work with?
“Well, Preacher I just met. He’s young, young in the business, smart guy, incredibly in shape, and he’s fun. You see him and you have to remind yourself that this can be fun, that work is supposed to be fun. So he’s just reminded me to remember to have fun.
“And Lisa, I thought she’d walk in with like, ten people, like you see in the movies when they have this entourage of people around them, but not at all! She couldn’t be more down to earth, she couldn’t be funnier, she couldn’t be a better person, and to tell you the truth, we have a great friendship and I never would have imagined that she and I would have gotten along this well.”
So for the semifinals, the dogs will be doing their tricks inside the studio?
“Yeah, so, we do the first semifinal tonight and then another next Thursday, and then the finale is in like, three weeks. The dogs that are able to travel will come to Los Angeles and do their tricks in front of Lisa and I. I’m excited, man, you get to see these dogs on video and you see them every week and you’re seeing who will advance and then they’re right there in front of you with their owners. And it’s so fun and exciting!”
Our interview with George Lopez of World’s Most Amazing Dog continues.
Dog O’Day – You’re really passionate about shelter dogs, right?
George Lopez – “Yeah, I am. I worked with an actress, and I hadn’t even considered what a rescue dog has gone through, and she told me, ‘If you got a minute, go and take a look at some of the videos from our Hope for Paws.’ There was this one that stuck out because the dog covered its eyes because it was so afraid, another that is just barking and biting and then half an hour later it’s sitting on the person’s lap as they convert it from afraid and mean to being domesticated and a great pet.
“For as much people love dogs and for the billions of dollars that get spent on dog food and dog clothes and refuges and hotels and daycare for dogs and dog walking, there’s still so much abuse of animals. If anything, there’s a component of World’s Most Amazing Dog where they have video that showcases rescue dogs.”
Do you have any dogs of your own?
“I have several of them. I have some that I’ve kept for me, I have some that I have given away, I had one dog [Owen the Chihuahua] who did several commercials with me, he was in the PETA ad, and that was like my main dog, you know? I felt that he would be served better by being with someone who could be more attentive to him that I could, so I gave him to a woman who used to watch my dogs.
“She loved Owen, and was always like, ‘If you ever think about giving him away, let me know!’ And I’m like, ‘I’m never giving him away,” but when I realized it was probably in the dog’s best interest to be with someone like her, who could be with him 24 hours a day, I didn’t have an issue giving him up.”
That’s good that he found a new home.
“Right, where before, I would have thought, “There’s no way I’m going to give up this dog, that’s crazy.’ But I have done that before, where I thought matching them up with somebody whose going to be able to give them the right amount of attention, rather than hoarding them or keeping them all for myself.”
What was it like to play a dog in voiceover in the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies?
“Well, you know, we did three of them. When it got presented to me, they were like, ‘All the good parts are gone,’ and you’re like ‘Okayy…’ and there was really no money, but I hadn’t really done voiceover before, so I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’
“So I go in there [the recording studio] and I’m kind of, not taking it completely – not giving it one hundred percent because there’s like six lines, you know? So I get there and immediately I’m singing to Drew Barrymore [Papi’s girlfriend Chloe]. And when I sang to Drew Barrymore about loving her and being in love with her and “Mi Corazon {My Heart}” and you’re almost like – the director [Never Been Kissed’s Raja Gosnell] and her both were like, ‘Oh, you’re so sweet!’ And then that scene, singing to her, created a bigger part in the first movie and then created the other two movies!
“And then I did The Smurfs, I did Rio, I did Marmaduke, I did Escape from Planet Earth, I’ve done a ton of animated films, and it all came from that presentation, like, ‘All the good parts are gone and there’s no money in it.’ If I would have turned that down, I’m pretty sure I never would have gone on like a twelve-movie run.”
What is your opinion on dog movies in general?
“Well, you know, I don’t think anyone can ever really go wrong with making Lady and the Tramp, or movies that have been around like 101 Dalmatians, things that we’ve kind of grown up around. I think you can’t never go wrong – Well, if you make a dog movie that doesn’t make a lot of money, you’ve made a pretty bad movie.”
Do you have any TV/film projects coming up?
“I did a movie called El Chicano that’s coming up, it’s kind of like a Latino superhero/vigilante in Los Angeles, that’ll be out nationally in early May I’m still out there touring, @GeorgeLopez on Twitter and Instagram, and there’s El Chicano coming out, I’m always working on something. There’s a [comedy] special coming out later this year, and then I’m embarking on my 40-year tour. I’m not sure there’s a lot of guys who have been out there [in show business] for forty years.”
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