Oscar MacGuire is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Jake Speer. The actor was cast in the role after a successful audition and a callback, in which he acted alongside various actresses to find the right one to play Oscar's sister. He began filming his first scenes in April 2013. Speer expressed his surprise at being cast in Home and Away, as he did not think he had "the right look" for the show. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 September 2013.
Oscar was introduced to the show along with his twin sister Evelyn (Philippa Northeast) and their aunt Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth), creating a family for established character Zac MacGuire (Charlie Clausen). Oscar is portrayed as being a quiet, funny, headstrong teenager. He and his sister entered the show as part of an unusual storyline focusing on a cult. The twins were forced to join the cult by their father Ethan (Matt Minto), which made Oscar uncomfortable and left him struggling to "maintain his individuality". Oscar and Evelyn's early storylines focused on their escape from the cult and Ethan's attempts to get them back.
A few months after settling into Summer Bay, Oscar struck Tamara Kingsley (Kelly Paterniti) with a car, leading to his arrest. He was later depicted suffering a panic attack as he struggled with his guilt. Shortly after, the character was at the centre of an issue-led storyline focusing on body image and fitness obsession. Speer hoped the storyline would show younger viewers the dangers of becoming obsessed with being healthy. Oscar's first love interest was his friend Maddy Osborne (Kassandra Clementi). Following a one-night stand in 2014, Oscar and Maddy began a relationship the following year, as he supported her through a cancer diagnosis. Oscar was fatally injured during an explosion at the Caravan Park, and his last scenes aired on 5 May 2016.
Casting On 25 August 2013, it was announced that Jake Speer had joined the cast of Home and Away. Speer was cast as Oscar MacGuire, one of three new characters introduced to the show as relations of Zac MacGuire (Charlie Clausen). Speer successfully auditioned for the role of Oscar and he called the process "unique", as he was paired with various actresses during his callback to find the one with the right chemistry to play Oscar's sister. Speer began filming his first scenes in April. Of his casting, he said "It's pretty incredible now that I'm able to talk about it ... obviously my close friends and family knew. I've been on the show since April ... I didn't really know what to expect to start off with, but it's been fantastic." Before the part of Oscar became available, Speer did not think he would be cast in a show like Home and Away, as he believed that he did not have "the right look". The actor also admitted to being "very stiff" during his first day on set, as he was not used to the pace of filming. Speer made his first appearance as Oscar on 3 September 2013.
Development Characterisation and family
Speer said that Oscar had not seen much of the world, meaning he had missed out on having a normal teenage life. He described his character as quiet and living "under the radar". He does not like to make a fuss, but is funny, quirky and tries not to take life too seriously. Oscar was also described as being "an observer of people" on the official website. Speer enjoyed portraying his character and hoped that viewers would also like him once they got to know him well.
Oscar is the nephew of established character Zac MacGuire, who arrived in early 2013, and Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth). He has a twin sister Evelyn (Philippa Northeast). Speer explained that the twins were sixteen upon their introduction, but Evelyn liked to remind Oscar that she was older by two minutes. They had a strong bond and were each other's "safety nets". Oscar disliked it when Evelyn just dived into situations and often found her annoying. The official website stated that during their early school years, Evelyn and Oscar liked to escape to a world they created when they were young. They then became "a formidable united force in their teens." In the family's fictional backstory, the twins' mother, Sarah, died, leaving them to develop a deep bond with her sister Hannah. Speer said Hannah was like a second mother to the twins, which Evelyn did not like. Following their father's death, the twins met their half-sister Denny (Jessica Grace Smith).
Introduction Oscar and Evelyn were introduced to the show as part of a cult storyline. Speer explained that it was "not your everyday run-of-the-mill thing" and he called the storyline "exciting". Zac visited the twins at a retreat that their father, Ethan (Matt Minto), had moved them to. Ethan initially tried to pass off the cult as a group enlightenment camp. Oscar was uncomfortable with his father's decision to move him and his sister into the cult's camp. He was aware that something was wrong and tried to "maintain his individuality and survive." Speer commented that Oscar was sceptical of the cult and found it strange, as he just wanted a normal teenage life. The cult forbade phones and computers, which was a disappointment to Oscar, who loved technology. Northeast noted that while Evelyn did what the cult asked of her, Oscar chose to rebel a bit more. When Zac finally realised the truth about the cult, he asked the Braxtons to help rescue Oscar and Evelyn. Zac was aware that the cult's lifestyle was not healthy for the twins and that neither of them were happy being there.
Actor Nic Westaway, who plays Kyle Braxton, commented that the Braxtons trusted Zac and if he said his brother was bad, then they would get the twins. Zac and the Braxtons had to fight their way out of the camp, but managed to rescue the twins and bring them to Summer Bay. A couple of months later, while the twins were attending a music festival, Ethan returned and kidnapped them, along with Kyle. Ethan locked them in a shipping container and Speer commented that it was "terrifying and confusing" for them all, as they wondered how long it would take for them to be released. Due to the warm weather, conditions inside the container quickly became worse as it turned into a sauna. Speer continued, "it's extremely hot, they're dehydrated and there's a lack of oxygen. All of them are starting to get groggy." Kyle tried to comfort the twins and Speer thought that they were lucky to have him there to keep them sane.
Hit-and-run accident
When Darcy Callahan (Alea O'Shea) went missing, Oscar joined the search party and soon found Zac passed out drunk at the wheel of his car. Trying to spare Zac further humiliation, Oscar decided to drive him home using the back roads around Summer Bay, despite not having his learner's permit. Speer said that as Oscar "always fights for the underdog", he could not leave Zac alone as he could potentially lose his job at the school. Speer continued, "Oscar sees an opportunity to take his 'man of the house' duties to the next level." As he was driving, Oscar became distracted by Zac, who began to wake up, and hit something in the road. He stopped the car and looked around, but could not see anything. Assuming he hit a branch or a kangaroo, Oscar carried on driving. However, it soon emerged that he had actually struck Tamara Kingsley (Kelly Paterniti), who had also been out looking for Darcy. Speer believed Oscar would be unable to forgive himself for hurting Tamara, calling it "a scary time for him". Following the accident, Oscar became torn about whether to confess. Evelyn begged him not to say anything as she did not want them to be separated.
When Zac noticed that the head lamp on his car was broken, he believed that he caused the crash. After Zac's confesses to the police, a "conscience-stricken" Oscar realised that he could no longer keep quiet and told Zac the truth. Despite his anger and guilt, Zac continued to cover for his nephew. But Oscar refused to let him "take the fall" and made a confession to the police, but they did not initially believe him. Oscar eventually made a statement and was formally charged. As he was fingerprinted and photographed for his mugshot, the enormity of what happened sunk in. Speer explained, "Oscar's been in denial for a long time. He never imagined himself as the kind of guy this could happen to. He's a good guy! But this is the first time he realises he could actually go to prison." Both Hannah and Zac felt that they had let Oscar down and the family started to turn against each other. Oscar struggled to cope with the gossip and ended up having a panic attack. He received help from Andy Barrett (Tai Hara), prompting Speer to comment "you find help in the strangest places!"
Fitness obsession In August 2014, it was announced that Oscar would be the focus of an issue-led storyline focusing on body image and fitness obsession. Following the hit-and-run accident and his resulting community service, in which he was hazed by Mitch Todd (Matthew Pearce), Oscar began to self-destruct. He began skipping school to attend the gym as much as he could and developed "an unhealthy habit." It soon became an obsession and Oscar began punishing himself with exercise routines, which consisted of runs along the beach or intense work outs at the gym. His friends Spencer Harrington (Andrew Morley) and Maddy Osborne (Kassandra Clementi) tried to get through to him, but he pushed them away. Oscar then pushed himself to exhaustion during a run, causing him to fall to his knees. Of Oscar's obsession, Speer said "He's pursuing this idea of being healthy right to the max. But, the truth is quite the opposite. He does it until it becomes extremely unhealthy. It also becomes like self-punishment, in a way. He thinks he isn't good enough and isn't satisfied until he's pushing himself that little bit too far."
Oscar continued to push himself and ignored his body's warnings, like vomiting as he ran too much. When Hannah noticed his odd behaviour, she banned him from the gym. Oscar then sunk to a new low "to feed his addiction" and lied to her about asking Zac to pick him up from community service. Instead, he asked Mitch to give him a ride and drop him off outside of town, so he could run. Speer commented that Oscar did not know where he was, but he just wanted to keep going. However, his body soon began to shut down due to insufficient food and water. Oscar was left dazed and confused, before collapsing alone in the bush. When they realised what had happened, Hannah, Andy and Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) went out to find and help Oscar. Speer hoped Oscar's storyline would show younger viewers the potential danger of fitness obsession. He commented, "There is a lot of pressure on men to have a six-pack. And for Oscar, it becomes a little too much."
Relationship with Maddy Osborne