López Vs López combines family comedy antics with a touch of theatrical drama. George Lopez stars as an alcoholic, deadbeat ex-father who reconnects with his estranged daughter (played by Lopez’s real-life daughter Mayan Lopez) when he hits rock bottom and tries to turn his life around. Now in its third season, Lopez vs Lopez The current batch of episodes focuses on the impending wedding between Mayan and her fiance and daddy, Quinten (Matt Shively).
The November 15 episode, “Lopez Vs Friends,” featured a guest appearance from Annie Gonzalez (Flamin’ Hot, Smooth), who played one of Mayan’s childhood friends, considered for Maid of Honor duty, much to the chagrin of Mayan’s mother, played by Selenis Leyva. Ultimately, it will take a dance to resolve things… It makes sense in the broader context of the episode, we promise.
TelaRant interviewed Annie Gonzalez about her work on the episode, as well as her broader career. She talked about her past experience with George and Mayan Lopez and how she felt ready to finally make her comedy debut with López Vs López. She also supported director Danielle Fishel, showrunner Debby Wolfe and the rest of the show’s mostly Latino team. Finally, she shared her excitement for her upcoming film, Jennibased on the life of innovative and rule-breaking singer/songwriter Jenni Rivera.
Annie Gonzalez celebrates the broad spectrum of Latino existence
“The Latino diaspora, as we all know, is very large and vast.”
On-Screen Speech: Hello, Annie. It’s so nice talking to you. THEOne minute you’re dating Eva Longoria and the next minute you’re dating George Lopez! I may not look it, but I’m Latino. I come from a large Honduran family.
Annie Gonzalez: I love it. The Latin diaspora, as we all know, is very large and vast. Never apologize for your appearance and just show all your authentic Latinidad!
I really appreciate that, especially because of all the shit I get for not speaking Spanish.
Annie Gonzalez: Hey, me too. Listen, I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish either. I’m sixth generation from East Los Angeles, whatever you would think. It looks like I have an opal on my forehead, and I still didn’t speak Spanish, I’m a bit of a pochita. But now I do! I started to learn and I think it’s because I let go of shame. So who cares? Who cares? If you want to learn, guess what? You can learn. If not, guess what? That’s okay too.
Have you ever done multicam, that kind of sitcom before?
Annie Gonzalez: No, I don’t. I am not. This is my first attempt. However, it imitates theater, and I’ve done a lot of theater. I read it, and growing up, I watched the George Lopez show. I’m a big fan of Lopez Vs Lopez, I kind of get it. I know how to make you laugh!
Annie Gonzalez reveals what makes Lopez Vs Lopez a special sitcom
“It’s a masterclass, not just in multicamera, but in storytelling.”
I did several interviews for the show and we talked about the relationship between the “classic” multi-camera sitcom style and live theater, and how the best sitcoms could be performed as a play, whether comedy or drama. I think this show does that very well.
Annie Gonzalez: There’s so much levity that this show offers, and [it shows] conversations we had privately in our homes with our family. Even the conversation you and I just had! The language barrier, right? Mayan Lopez is very open about how she didn’t grow up speaking Spanish, and that’s something she felt made her less Latina, as we just talked about.
What I love about this show is the lightness it offers and the relief it gives many of us who feel these things, and it gives insight into people who may not know about the Latinidad diaspora. And they do it so well. I mean, all the writers and Debby Wolfe, the showrunner and co-creator of the series, along with Mayan, they were very smart. And George is a genius. And everyone on that show… It’s a masterclass, not just in multicamera, but in storytelling, in my opinion.
The cast obviously is, but is the crew mostly Latino or is it like a mix of all different races?
Annie Gonzalez: No, the team is mostly Latino. But what I think they did was hire the best people for the job. It turns out that many of them are Latino!
Danielle Fishel directed her episode, and she’s wonderful.
Annie Gonzalez: I mean, she’s a living legend. Like, she understands this world so completely that it made my entire week on the show so perfect. I mean, I’ve been friends with Mayan for a while and I did a pilot with George a few years ago. I know Al and Matt. And I made a movie [Flamin’ Hot] with my little Brice… Entering their already concise family, they have already done many episodes together. By being able to fit into this, it felt like I was a cousin who wasn’t home for a few Thanksgivings and now I can reconnect with everyone and create some really cool pieces of art.
Can you give us a brief summary of your episode?
Annie Gonzalez: I play Annie, go figure. [Laughs] They hadn’t introduced Mayan’s friends yet, but Mayim and Quinten are getting married, so here we are. They have to figure out who their bridesmaids will be. She introduces her friend Annie from high school, and you’ll see a little fight and rivalry that may have impacted their friendship. And then you see them rekindle each other with a fun little dance. It’s really cute, adorable, and so relatable. And we had so much fun doing it!
How is Jorge? He’s a legend. Is he always “on” and doing things?
Annie Gonzalez: Interestingly, George is a very grounded human being. And very intelligent. He’s hilarious and insightful, but I think in comedy the laughter only happens when you’re grounded in truth. And that’s what I found out about him. He is a very deep human being who has been doing this for a long time. He’s a lot more grounded than I think most people would expect.
Annie Gonzalez Teases Her Upcoming Jenni Rivera Biopic
“I’m really excited about life these days!”
Did you take time to think about what he was thinking during lunch breaks or between setups?
Annie Gonzalez: I’m so lucky that all of these people are actually my friends. That way, whenever I need them, I can turn to them. Between scenes, we’re usually all taking deep breaths, just trying to digest what the episode is so we can show up on show day and make sure we rock it for the audience.
You mentioned being friends with Mayan. How did you meet her?
Annie Gonzalez: I did a pilot with George, and that week he was doing a set at the Laugh Factory. So he invited all of us in the cast to check him out. We went and then we went to dinner, a private dinner at Mr. Chow’s house. I closed the restaurant. The coolest thing I’ve ever tried. We are there and I am sitting in front of Mayan. I knew who she was because she was obviously his daughter.
Literally the second we met, we hit it off. I assume that’s probably why George and I became friends. When I met him, he said, “I feel like I’ve met you before.” And then I met his daughter and I thought, we’re related. You meet people sometimes and you think, oh yeah, that should happen. Thank you, universe.
You are a rising star. Are there any upcoming projects in particular that you would like to highlight?
Annie Gonzalez: I’m excited to share something that’s coming out on December 6th. I’m going to play Jenni Rivera in the next biopic. This will be in theaters and on the VIX platform on December 6th. So if you want, check it out. And if not, just follow my IG. I have so many other things coming out and I’m so excited about life right now! But first, watch Lopez vs. Lopez, because it’s so fun and hilarious!
More about Lopez vs Lopez season 3
The family laughs and fights continue in season 3 of Lopez vs Lopez as Mayan and Quinten try to take control of their wedding plans. George continues to deal with his sobriety and the realities of aging, and he doesn’t do any of it gracefully. Rosie isn’t shy about expressing her opinions on marriage and quietly deals with the fallout from her almost-marriage with Josué. Chance begins to rebel against his parents now that he is a strong, independent 9-year-old boy. The entire Lopez family is back and ready to live life to the fullest – loving, crying and everything in between.
Check out our others López Vs López interviews here:
New episodes of López Vs López airs Fridays at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT on NBC.