He is an uncommon common man.

George Lopez grew up in the San Fernando Valley in a blue-collar household. His father walked out when George was two months old. When he was 10, his mom remarried and left him to be raised by his grandparents. After scraping through high school, Lopez knocked around in odd jobs and for a while worked in the same aerospace plant as his grandmother.

And then, inspired by Freddie Prinze, he took a chance at an open mike night at a local comedy club.

Today, Lopez stars, writes and co-produces his own successful sitcom on ABC, “George Lopez.” He appears in the critically lauded film “Real Women Have Curves.” He’s been a successful radio personality in Los Angeles, and he’s well established as one of the top stand-up comics in the country. He also is heavily involved in such community activities as the Stop the Violence program in Los Angeles. In June, he’ll release a new comedy CD, “Team Leader.”

Having completed production on this season of his TV show, Lopez is back on the road.

Q. You seem like such a cheerful, easy-going guy, but you’re acting, writing and producing and starring in your own TV series and then using your off time to go out on the road and do stand-up. That might sound like an cheerful, easy-going driven workaholic.

A. All the actors and everybody says, “You’re going to take some time off, aren’t you?” You know what? The truth is, I come from a working-class, blue-collar background. My grandfather raised me, worked in construction and busted his (expletive). One of the reasons they would hire him out of a pool of guys was because they said he works as hard as two guys. He came home exhausted.

This isn’t exhausting. This is what I always wanted to do. … I’ll rest when the show is in syndication. Up until then, I’ve got to do all my stuff.

Q. From a satisfaction point of view, which is more fun to work in: movies, TV or radio?

A. I’ve got to tell you, man. I think TV. Here’s the truth: I never thought this was going to happen, dude. I mean, sure, Tim Allen thought it could happen and Drew Carey and Jerry Seinfeld. But when you look at the Latino history of TV, it’s Desi Arnaz, Freddie Prinze, a bunch of people who tried and me. I never thought I’d be the one connected to Freddie and Desi through history now.

Q. It sounds like you’re sort of disconnected from the people in your past. Is that a source of sadness, or is it simply something you needed to do for your own good?

A. I don’t think I needed to do it for my own good. I just think we come from an area where nobody communicates. Man, I’ve had friends who were great, and I’m a victim of that, too, because we never call. One thing I admire about Anglos is that they stay connected, man. We don’t do that.

I just think it’s tough. One of the guys I grew up with, his wife has an issue with me. With everything going on, … you don’t want someone telling you what they think is wrong with you. They don’t know what I go through. They don’t know what my life is like now.

The big thing is, “Man. You’ve changed.” … They think change is bad. I think change is good. Am I more protective? Am I more selective? Am I more private than I used to be? Absolutely. I came out one morning and they were taking pictures of my house.

Q. Often stand-ups who are successful on TV stop doing stand-up. You don’t see Roseanne or Ellen DeGeneres on the road too much anymore. Is that a mistake?

A. Let me tell you, one of the most painful things is to see a guy who did stand-up, did a show, got away from stand-up and then tries to come back to stand-up. I think Robin Williams will tell you how excruciating the pain is. The process is unbelievably painful.

It’s like being in a gym. You’re exercising that comedy muscle. You’re out there, and you’re aware of everything that’s going on. You know everything that’s going on in the news. You know everything that’s going on in life. You know everything that’s hot. … You just know everything. You have to.

You stop doing it, and you get away from that. You come back, and it’s like the tide has changed. You’ve got to get back up to speed and the process of the timing, the material, the comfort on stage, the vulnerability again. … You go back to stand-up, and you’re out there by yourself and you’re naked again.

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George Lopez

AP-NY-05-02-03 0951EDT

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