Talented and dimpled, Mario Lopez first came to our attention on "Saved by the Bell." He has since expanded his range in television and films and with an ever-growing array of hosting gigs, including the 2009 Miss America Pageant and the syndicated TV entertainment news show "Extra." A runner-up on the third season of "Dancing With the Stars," he also wrote "Knockout Fitness" about how to stay in shape. Last year, Lopez, 35, made his Broadway debut in "A Chorus Line." He will be hosting the premiere of MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," at 9 p.m. EDT Sunday.
Excerpts from an interview:
Q: Do your hosting duties impact your acting career?
A: Well, I sort of wanted to do it all and didn't want to focus on one particular area. I've been able to simultaneously just do them both. Hosting is something that comes easiest, and it's just fun. I like hosting, whether it's dinner parties at my house or national TV shows. I just like people. Filling in on "Regis and Kelly" or "Larry King Live," it comes very natural. I've still been able to do stuff like "Nip/Tuck" and another project in development with ABC Family. So far, so good.
Q: When you are hosting a show like "Extra," do you ever feel conflicted when reporting on a fellow celebrity?
A: Yeah, I know it comes with the territory. I'm not trying to be salacious or out there slinging mud. I just sort of try to report the news and put a positive spin on it. (With) somebody I know really well, sometimes I'll try to avoid it altogether or speak with them and see if they'd like me to phrase it in a certain way and share their story.
Q: You've had a lot of positive attention paid to your looks from the dimples to the hair to the body, yet from a viewer's perspective, you seem to remain humble.
A: Thank you. I've kept my same friends that I grew up with, and I'm real close to my family, a hardworking blue-collar family from San Diego. It's just a couple hours south of Los Angeles, but it's a world of difference. I recognized at an early age this is just a job, and it's a temp job at that.
Q: There has to be a certain amount of vanity involved in maintaining the physique. There must be a lot of pressure to stay in shape.
A: (Laughing.) It does cross my mind that I can't really let myself go. I'd look like a hypocrite -- you know, practice what you preach. But I'm actually speaking from the heart. It's my lifestyle.
Q: Did you dream of being a dancer before acting?
A: No, no. I always loved music and loved to dance, whether it was at a wedding or a club. I just sort of love to move, but I never really had any aspirations. When I was a kid, Mom put me into a bunch of activities. I was hyper.
Q: When I spoke with comedian George Lopez shortly after his television show was canceled, he was upset about the lack of Latino/Hispanic presence on TV. Do you think that is still true?
A: I think it continues to be true if you are basing it on statistics and what the numbers represent. I think it's gotten slightly, ever so slightly, better. There's still lots of room for improvement. I think the television landscape should represent the landscape of Americans out there.
Q: Did you ever feel your heritage held you back?
A: No, not in working so much, but it held me back in that I wasn't granted the same opportunities, you know? Sometimes I wasn't ethnic enough. I recognize that more now that I'm older.
Q: Mario, I know you understand that fans are interested, but are you ever bothered by the inevitable questions about your dating life?
A: I don't get bothered, I know it comes with the territory. So, I just take it in stride.
Q: OK, would you say you are a George Clooney-style confirmed bachelor?
A: I love him. He's a great guy. A class act, great gentleman. From what I have read and heard, he swears off marriage and is a confirmed bachelor. No, that's not me. I very much want a family and children. I mean, I'm not looking per se. I'm not working on trying to find Miss Right. I'm working on being Mr. Right and sort of letting it happen.
(Patricia Sheridan can be reached at psheridan(at)post-gazette.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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