Fictional character
Oscar Martinez is a fictional character in the American mockumentary-style television series The Office. His counterpart in the British iteration of the show is accountant Oliver. Oscar appears in 176 of 188 episodes and is portrayed by Oscar Nunez.[1]
Character
Personality
Oscar is known for being an intellectual, rational, and quietly efficient worker in the office. He refers to himself as being in the "Coalition for Reason" with co-workers Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer), and Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein). Considered to be a know-it-all by many of his co-workers, Oscar is frequently exasperated by the antics of the office, though he often joins Kevin Malone in antagonizing uptight Angela Martin.
Biography
Oscar Martinez has been an accountant at the Scranton branch office of Dunder Mifflin since 1999. In the first season episode "Diversity Day", he is revealed to have been the son of Mexican parents who immigrated to the United States one year before he was born. A gay man, he is outed by Michael Scott in the third season premiere, Gay Witch Hunt.[2] Nunez explained in a 2008 interview that the character feels amusement, pity, and hatred towards Michael.[3]
In earlier seasons, he is seen driving a Saturn Ion. He replaces this with a Lexus RX 400h, a company car leased to him as part of Dunder Mifflin's desire to avoid a lawsuit after the events of "Gay Witch Hunt".
LGBTQ representation
The third season reveal of Oscar's sexuality represented, for the time, a rare example of a regular sitcom character being openly gay. During the 2006–2007 season, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) reported he was the only LGBT person of color character on a regular series.[4] The following year, he was the "only remaining gay character on a half-hour comedy program".[5] For the 2009–2010 season, Martinez represented one of four regular series characters who were LGBT persons of color; by 2010–2011, there were six, and in 2011–2012 there were five.[6]
Oscar's homosexuality is first addressed in Season 3, Episode 1, titled "Gay Witch Hunt." In this episode, it is revealed that he is gay, and Michael Scott's mishandling of the situation (including kissing him without consent) leads to Dunder Mifflin offering Oscar a paid vacation and company car to avoid a lawsuit. As one of the show's more private characters, Oscar's romantic relationships and personal life are only occasionally featured.
Almost all of Oscar's co-workers are accepting of his homosexuality (including Michael and Kevin, although both continue to make ignorant and immature comments about it, which Oscar generally shrugs off). An exception is fellow accountant Angela Martin, whose conservative Christian views lead her to react to Oscar with extreme bigotry at first. However, she later realises the error of her ways and apologises to Oscar for her negative reactions and comments.
References
- ^ "Oscar Nuñez". IMDB. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ^ Interview With Oscar Núñez, by Craig Young, October 4, 2006, AfterElton.com. [1]
- ^ Comedian Oscar Núñez has 9-to-5 fun at 'The Office', LEE HERNÁNDEZ, New York Daily News, April 21, 2008. [2]
- ^ Where we are on TV: GLAAD’s 11th Annual Diversity Study Previews the 2006-2007 Primetime Television Season. August 2006, Mónica Taher, GLAAD's People of Color (POC) Media Director, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. [3] Archived 2014-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ GLAAD’s 12th Annual Diversity Study Examines 2007-2008 Primetime Television Season, Damon Romine, Sarah Holbert, Matt Kane, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. [4] Archived 2021-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Where we are on TV: GLAAD’s 14th Annual Diversity Study Previews the 2009-2010 Primetime Television Season, Taj Paxton, Jonathan Rosales, Callan Koenig, Brian McGough, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
