Oscar Nuñez, instantly recognizable as Oscar Martinez from “The Office,” had an uncle who spent 20 years as a political prisoner under Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba.
Nuñez, who was born in Cuba and left when he was 2 years old, told Page Six that, ironically, his uncle had originally joined the communist leader’s band when they were hiding up in the hills, but quickly became disillusioned and warned the family about Castro.
“He said, ‘Oh this fella lied to us, this is not going to be good,” Nuñez recalled his uncle saying. “They came to take one of the ranches my grandfather owned and my uncle had a firefight with the communist militia. They caught him and threw him in jail for 20 years.”
Nuñez said his parents were at the University of Havana while Castro was a student there, but they were a year below him. His aunt, however, was in the same law classes.
“She was like, ‘Yes I knew who he was, I never hung out with him, he was a bit of an a–hole but he had his own friends and he was a big shot within his little circle of friends. He had a big mouth and was always talking loud.’”
The 61-year-old actor is currently starring in the new Netflix anthology called “Social Distance,” co-created by “Orange is the New Black’s” Jenji Kohan. The series — which was conceived, written and filmed entirely during the coronavirus pandemic — focuses on how families, friends and couples have coped while quarantining. It also stars Dylan Baker and Danielle Brooks.
Nuñez said that he only filmed it a couple of weeks ago and, “They brought all the equipment to our homes and we were able to shoot in our homes which was even cooler.”
And as for “The Office” — which continues to gather new fans, like Jennifer Garner, who filmed herself bawling after watching the final episode — Nuñez is grateful it’s still so beloved 7 years after it went off the air.
“It’s on all the time, people tune in it. Some people love ‘Seinfeld,’ it’s the comfort and stability I guess. Get a laugh and feel comfortable, they tune into “The Office,’ it’s very sweet actually. We appreciate it,” he said.
Netflix will release all eight episodes of “Social Distance” on October 15.