That ’70s Show proved itself to be way ahead of its years. For a ’70s show (not really made in the ’70s though), Fez was a revolutionary character. With an elusive background and an unclaimed heritage, the foreign caricaturish character provided an iconic twist to the stereotypical representation of immigrant culture in American media.
Played by Wilmer Valderrama on the teenage sitcom, his role was destined to be a comedic foil to the rest of the teens from the white picket-fenced American Dream families. But he elevated his role beyond that of the typical Latino supporting character. He became the physical manifestation of every immigrant from all corners of the world.
That ’70s Show Erases Immigrant Stereotypes
For Wilmer Valderrama, representation was never a topic he engaged in with much thought. In fact, the socially pertinent issue did not occur to him as a teenage actor working in the morally dubious industry of film and television. As an actor of foreign origins, Valderrama claims that his arrival to America at age 16 or 17 meant that “you put your head down and you keep working.”
As such, when he was cast to portray the character of Fez (originally named Fes), he took the opportunity to imbibe his character with a funny little trait that he called his secret sauce. In an interview with TODAY, the actor claimed:
I interpreted [Fez] as like, oh, we don’t know where he’s from, it’d be really funny if I just combined accents from different countries. And then given this naiveté, this innocence, in which he could just make any verbal mistake he could and be received as just charming as opposed to offensive. So I created his little secret sauce…
This new take on the character of Fez gave Valderrama a “license to be a little bit of everyone.” Although a radically original thought that immediately impressed the casting directors, the idea had never occurred to the sitcom’s writers, despite coming up with the clever acronym Fes, as in Foreign Exchange Student.
Valderrama’s secret sauce proved to be a huge hit among the fans, clearly resonating with the Latino community as much as it echoed among every individually culturally distinct immigrant strewn across the globe striving to find their place in a foreign land.
That ’70s Show Proves Itself Ahead of Its Time
In a day and age that seems more divided than ever, issues of representation in terms of sexuality, race, and gender get analyzed under a critical spotlight for every Hollywood project that passes the factory line-up. But That ’70s Show which premiered way back in 1998 proves itself to be way ahead of its years than any new project that forces itself to go woke, often at the cost of the project’s content quality.
Wilmer Valderrama had a major role to play in raising That ’70s Show to such a pedestal. The actor who played Fez on the show insisted on imbuing his character with a globally ambiguous touch rather than limiting Fez to one culture and one genealogical background. In hindsight, Valderrama claims, “When I think back about what it probably did for my community … it’s a privilege.”
That ’70s Show went above and beyond its designated task in shining a light on the immigrant culture without ever forcing the audience’s attention onto the subject. Fez’s presence in the sitcom as a lovable foreigner pulled at the heartstrings of the fans, making them pay attention to Valderrama’s efforts without having to spoon-feed such socially relevant issues to them.
That ’70s Show is streaming on Peacock.
