George Lopez (AP Images)

Take one fun-loving Great Dane and pair him with a super-cool cat. You've got a recipe for lots of laughs! Carlos the cat is pals with the big dog in the upcoming film Marmaduke, which opens June 4. Weekly Reader Student Reporter Adam R., a fifth-grade student from Illinois, recently spoke with actor and comedian George Lopez, whose voice helps bring Carlos the Cat to life.

Adam R.: In your new movie Marmaduke, how is your character, Carlos the Cat, like yourself?
George Lopez: He's very witty ... he's kind of like a wise-cracking sidekick, so he's very quick to comment on things that are going on with Marmaduke. So he's [like me] because he just observes and then comments on what he sees.

AR: How do you think kids will relate to Carlos the Cat?
GL: He's a cat, so he's very cool and he's funny. ... I think they'll forget that he's a cat at some point and then just think that he's an actor. [Laughs]

AR: Which scene was the most fun to do in Marmaduke?
GL: There's a scene ... where Marmaduke is trying to fit in with the other dogs at the dog park. ... So he asks me if he can beat me up to prove to the dogs that he's tough. So it's kind of a staged fight, but then [Marmaduke] gets out of control and really beats me up. I had to make all these noises like I was getting beat up, and I was rrarr!

AR: How did you decide to become an actor, and how old were you?
GL: When I was 11 years old, I decided that I wanted to be a comedian. And that was a long time ago. Then when I was 18 years old I went on stage and did comedy for the first time. ... It was on June 4 of 1979, and I was getting ready to graduate from high school, and I went with my friend. And I was pretty bad the first time, and I was pretty bad the second time, and then I redid my act.

AR: And everybody liked it?
GL: The third time everybody liked it. I'd never, ever felt that kind of excitement before in my life, so it really was like kind of a bolt of lightning. And then it was fun.

AR: Was it hard to break into show business?
GL: Yes, Adam, it's a very difficult business to get into because when you're training, you really train on the job ... and if you're not very good, it's painful because the only way to get good is to have experience, and the only way to get experience is to get jobs. So it's not an easy road for anybody and you can't get into it thinking that you want to become famous. You have to get into it thinking that you want to do your best work and then whatever happens, happens. Too many people now get into show business thinking that they want to become big stars, but very few people do that. But if you get in and think, hey, I just want to do my stuff and make people laugh or try to act, then it's less painful because you're actually doing something you don't mind being bad at.

Carlos the Cat and Marmaduke in Marmaduke, due in theaters June 4. Photo: Joe Lederer/20th Century Fox