You’ve already been in holiday movies like Feliz NaviDAD, The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation and A Very Merry Toy Store. What appealed to you about Holiday in Santa Fe? Not to sound corny, but [holiday movies] are kind of my brand. I like doing things that are all about family, because at the end of the day this film is really about family. I like having a little bit of Latin influence. What was it like to have your 11-year-old daughter, Gia, play your niece? She’s a ham and she’s wanting to do more [acting], but she’s just as busy with her other activities. So it made it all the more special because she’s in it. I thought she did a really nice job. I had my wife [CourtneyMazza] in the last one; she did a fun little scene in Feliz NaviDAD. Lifetime movies are about love at first sight, or at least love in a few days. Do you believe in that? There are no rules when it comes to love. I think that’s what makes it fun and romantic. Especially during the holidays, it’s always a magical time and a great time to fall in love. I’m a fan of romance. In Holiday in Santa Fe, the Ortega family tradition is to eat tamales for Christmas. Is that a Lopez family tradition as well? Yeah. I love that. We get them the whole season, have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner. My grandmother started it, then my mom, now my sister. So yeah, those are subtle nods to Latin families out there that know, or people that have friends that know. Again, we wanted a little sprinkling of the culture here and there. What other traditions do you have? Aside from the tamales and a lot of the food, we go to Mass. The family’s together and it’s festive and it’s fun. There might be a little gambling going on. It’s a good time. We always try to go to the movies too, whatever movie’s out. There’s a TikTok dance scene, and you also have a few on your personal TikTok. Was that something they added to the movie because of you? That’s all my daughter. She’s like a little PaulaAbdul; she choreographs everything you see on my Instagram. She wanted to do a little something in the film and I thought it’d be fun. I thought it was a fun little nod to her, and that’s what kids are into. She won’t hesitate grabbing someone and sticking them in a TikTok or a little dance video. I thought it was kind of cute. Emeraude Toubia, who plays my love interest, played along, and she’s a great dancer. You started dancing when you were 3 years old. My mom put me in a bunch of different activities. That was one of them and I kind of floated in and out, a little studio at the local strip mall here. It was fun, but I was the only dancing/wrestling/karate/theater kid I knew. It was obviously a positive experience for you. Do you want something like that for your own kids? My kids have busier schedules than I do. They’re into dancing, singing and playing the piano. And they do wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and my daughter’s competitive in gymnastics. So they’re very, very busy. I have the same approach that my mom had with me. Mine was to keep me busy and out of trouble in the neighborhood I grew up in. My kids are hyper, and I want them to flex those creative muscles. I want to introduce them and expose them to a lot, see what they want to do. So they’re pretty well-versed. Are you OK with your daughter following in your footsteps? It’s funny because I didn’t necessarily encourage her—but I didn’t discourage her either. It just presented itself. She wanted to start doing interviews with me on the red carpet, and then people would ask her if she’d do little cameos here and there. She ended up doing a voice on Elena of Avalor, and she was on Jane the Virgin. All this stuff presented itself, and then this role for a kid came along in Holiday in Santa Fe, someone who looked like my niece. I’m like, “Well, Gia would be great for that. Why not my daughter?” We had her read, and the network liked her and she was great. If we came by your house at Christmas, would you be listening to holiday music? And if you are, who would you be listening to? It’s like you walk into a snow globe. My wife really goes all out for every holiday, but especially right after Halloween everything starts coming up holidays. We listen to those Pandora holiday channels. We just leave it on that and it’s a pretty good little mix. The reboot of Saved by the Bell was picked up for its second season. Why do you think it still works? There was an innocence about it because it was for Saturday morning. We had a nice, diverse cast; it was fun and light. Maybe it makes people think of a simpler time. I don’t know exactly, but I’m grateful for the opportunity. Is it true that the A.C. Slater character in Saved by the Bell was inspired by Vinnie Barbarino from Welcome Back, Kotter? And that he was going to be Italian until you came along? That’s exactly how they wrote him, and he was supposed to be. But then I came along, and I had the same energy, but I was an athlete in real life, so then they incorporated him to be more of an athlete like I was. They had us write down all our lists of interests and hobbies, and because of my mom like we discussed, I wrestled on the show, played the drums, danced and did all that stuff. That wasn’t in the character, that was me. They just put that into the character. So not as much acting as we maybe thought. It was not acting. It was me being me. For season two of the Saved by the Bell reboot, what can we look forward to? Well, I would get in trouble if I talked about it, so I won’t say too much. You see Slater get a lot more emotional and get his act a little together. He’s one of those guys that’s stuck in his era. He finds a little romance, and it’s fun and funny. You might see some dancing too. Will there be a tribute to the late Dustin Diamond? Absolutely, which I’m glad we did. It’s a nice tribute in the first episode. So we pay respects right off the top. You’ve gone from Extra to Access Hollywood. What do you enjoy about hosting? I’m a natural host: I love hosting people at my house for dinner parties or game night. I make sure to keep the energy and the fun going. That’s the same approach I take when hosting. I love TV, movies, music. I think people can see that I’m genuinely interested, and they respect that. You also did some hosting for WWE, and we’ve mentioned that you were a wrestler when you were younger. Are you a big fan? I was a big fan as a kid. I took a 20- to 30-year hiatus and then my kids became fans, and now I’m living vicariously through them and a fan again. Those people are great over there. I love the WWE and they always treat my family so well. Man, they’ve really taken things to the next level. Being a people person, the pandemic must have hit you hard. I didn’t stop working. Literally, we shut down for three days and then I was shooting the show from my house. And then I was shooting the show on the lot. I was like a COVID pioneer. Access Hollywood was the first show on Universal, Saved by the Bell was the first scripted show there, I shot a Christmas movie down there. I didn’t stop, I kept busy. With everything that you have going on, what do you love most about your life right now? I feel very blessed with everything that’s going on both professionally and personally. I’ve got an amazing wife and three beautiful, healthy kids. Three great dogs. I’ve got my health, and I’m doing what I love. I’ve got my nationally syndicated radio show that I do with my wife, which is a lot of fun. I’m doing Access Daily, the daytime show, sort of like a Regis and Kelly, and then my nighttime show Access Hollywood. Doing Saved by the Bell, revisiting that. I don’t have to leave Universal. Two of my Christmas movies. I’m producing things. So I feel very blessed. I do fun stuff, like I just guest-hosted for Ellen a couple episodes. I’m busier than ever and I feel more blessed than ever. And all my kids are doing really well, so it’s a pretty special time and I don’t take it for granted. Next, 100+ Best Christmas Movies To Watch This Holiday Season
