In a recent interview on my podcast Actors With Issues, Matt Shively of the new NBC sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez reflected on his 15-year career, which is made up of a dozen films and over 250 episodes of television (including Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP with Keke Palmer and ABC's The Real O’Neals). "I was just thinking the other day how I'm coming up on fifteen years of doing this semi-successfully, so that’s been weird," he laughed. "The older I've gotten, the more I understand [this industry] and been able to realize how things work and see it with a business perspective and not just as an actor."
Shively (pictured at top, left) plays Quintin, the live-in boyfriend of George Lopez's daughter Mayan (top right) and the father of their five-year-old son, Chance. Lopez vs Lopez isn’t his first sitcom or foray into comedy, but he revealed that there are always lessons to be learned on any given project, no matter one’s level of experience. "Leading up to this show, I told myself, 'We've done this before, we know what we’re doing.' So, for the first time ever I wanted to speak up and have my opinion heard," he said. "I used to always think, 'I'm so lucky to have this job.' It's not an ego thing, but I had to learn that as lucky as I am to have a job, they are just as lucky to have me. That idea changed my perspective of how to feel."
He went on to recount a moment with George when they were doing a camera rehearsal for a scene and he suggested a dialogue adjustment. "George felt that this exchange was a bit much given it was only the second episode and where our [characters'] relationship was on the show. So I said, 'What if you said this?' That's something I would never do, especially to someone like George Lopez," he laughed.
"George thought it was a good idea, and later as we were walking back to our dressing rooms, he said, 'So you direct, too, huh?' I’d never directed before, and he said, 'You’d be a really good director. You really understand it.' I immediately went to my dressing room, opened up my journal, and wrote BEST DAY EVER."
When asked what actor-related issue he could shed some light on, Shively picked up a notepad and quickly flipped through the pages. "Where do I start?" he laughed.
One particular obstacle he pointed out was the lack of in-person auditions in the last couple of years, something he became accustomed to during the decade before the pandemic. "It took me ten years to get even remotely [comfortable] with going into a room, and when I finally felt like I had it, COVID hit and now it's all over Zoom," he said. "That can be soul-crushing because you put all of your time and effort into this and then just send it out into the ether and you're just hoping that they watch your tape." The actor then recalled a time he was at an in-person audition pre-pandemic where he saw a casting assistant's assistant barely make it through the end of an audition tape. "That's been the hardest thing now, spending three days memorizing, perfecting it, and sending it off. At least when I was going into a room, they gave me that moment."
In closing, Shively described his experience on Lopez vs. Lopez as "the greatest job I’ve ever had. Every struggle I've had leading up to it has [been] worth it because of this show," he said, adding that George is a "legend" and Mayan is "a legend in the making."
New episodes ofLopez vs. Lopez are telecast Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and are available to stream next day on Peacock.
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