HOLA! SPECIAL FEATURE
On set with ‘Lopez vs. Lopez’ stars Selenis Leyva, Al Madrigal, Matt Shively, and Jaime Camil
The show airs every Tuesday with back-to-back episodes at 8:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on NBC
Lopez vs. Lopez season 2 is out now! The hilarious NBC comedy executive produced by and starring George Lopez as himself and his daughter, Mayan Lopez, brings families together as they touch on relatable topics like sobriety, generational trauma, forgiveness, friendship, and family.
The first season averaged 4.7 million viewers across all platforms and is the highest-indexing broadcast series for viewers in English-dominant Hispanic households. Of course, George and Mayan aren’t telling this story alone, but with the help of talented cast members.
HOLA! USA had the opportunity to exclusively visit the set of Lopez vs. Lopez, where we talked to the talented actors helping this show make history: Selenis Leyva, Al Madrigal, Matt Shively, and their newest recurring cast member, Jaime Camil.
Get a glimpse into the world of Lopez vs. Lopez below.
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Selenis Leyva and Jaime Camil
Cuban and Dominican star Leyva plays George’s former wife, and Mayan’s mom, Rosie. The ‘Orange is the New Black’ star told HOLA! She wanted to show Rosie as the woman she is in season two. “[Season one we saw] the boss, Rosie, the mother, the ex-wife, all the things. But it was important for me to also showcase that women after 40 still have it good and can find love, look beautiful, and be celebrated.”
I’m really happy that I’m able to be a part of that movement of showcasing Latinas in their power.”
- Selenis Leyva -
It’s a movement that has come with appreciation. “Every time I hear a woman, a grown woman, whether she’s a mother, whether she’s a Nana, whatever it is, and say, ‘Thank you for Rosie,’ there’s something really powerful about that. I grew up in a time when I never saw myself being represented on television or any screen. And now I feel like I’m representing a group of women that usually are not celebrated. We think about women only in their twenties. And then after that, it’s like, goodbye. No, I’m celebrating. I am starting a little something about the celebration of what it is to be a woman, and what it is to be strong. I love that, especially for the Latinas and for our community. And I love all women to feel empowered and beautiful. And that’s Rosie. Rosie feels empowered. She feels beautiful. She’s unapologetic about it. And this season we are seeing that.”
One of the storylines helping tell that story is Camil. The handsome star joins this season as “Josué Consuelos” a charming personal injury attorney who sweeps Rosie off her feet with romantic ballads he plays for her on his guitar, leaving George seething with jealousy. “Sometimes you think you’re done with a relationship, and suddenly something else activates it. So we’re seeing that with George and Rosie, and that was activated by the arrival of Jaime’s character,” Leyva explained.
For Camil, joining a cast with such a strong bond and connection came easily. “Well, they’re lovely. They’re a beautiful group of extraordinary, talented individuals and humans. And when you come to a show where they welcome you so lovely, with open arms and open hearts, it’s just incredible,” he told us. “I mean, they’re amazing. They’re super talented, and they’re super nice, and it’s lovely to work with very kind and generous people.”
In Leyva’s words, everyone loved having Camil on set, and he made people blush. “It was wonderful having Jaime. I’ve never had a co-star, a guest star, make everyone on set blush. Everyone somehow thinks that Jaime is just eye candy. I respect him. I have never seen him like that,” Leyva quipped.
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Related:
Mayan Lopez manifested her life in entertainment, and now she’s the star of a show
Al Madrigal and Matt Shively
Two hilarious and comedic talents putting their touch on the season are Mardrigal, who plays George’s best friend Oscar, and Shively, Mayan’s on-screen boyfriend Quinten and father of their son Chance, portrayed by Brice Gonzalez.
Going into season two, they were excited. “I’ve been saying ever since we started season two that we moved into a place where this is going to be a classic family sitcom, and we’re only thirty-two episodes in. It’s awesome watching the growth of every character of all the scripts,” Shively said.
For Madrigal, he recognizes how important this show is. He told us he thinks Lopez vs. Lopez is here to stay, and one of those reasons is the way Latino stars are rallying behind it. “I think that López vs. Lopez is here to stay and that we have something really great going. With all of the guest stars... When you have Rita Moreno that’s done it, Cheech and Chong, and Cheech having done it multiple times, Jamie Camil, and you go on and on with Gabriel Iglesias, Melissa Fumero, Danny Trejo, this long list, Harvey Guillen. Harvey Guillen doesn’t need to do this show, but he does it because all Latino actors are rallying to support one of the very few shows that’s on TV. ”
Madrigal got passionate during this time, looking straight into the camera to talk about Latino representation in television. “It’s really criminal right now what’s going on with Latinos on television.”
I’m gonna look right in the camera. Support this Latino ensemble because we are it. We need to show that this works not just because it’s a Latino show but because it’s a very very funny and smart show.
- Al Madrigal-
He continues “It’s nonsense what’s happening out there. We are twenty percent of the population, five percent of the characters on TV, and it needs to stop, and you see that with all the people that are rallying behind López versus López.”
The show airs every Tuesday with back-to-back episodes at 8:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on NBC. And new episodes stream on-demand the next day on Peacock.
