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When actor Zach Gilford found out he was being written out of "Friday Night Lights" after four seasons, he was disappointed but not all that surprised.

"We all knew going in that this show is about a revolving cast of characters," says the fan favorite who plays awkward and sensitive high school quarterback Matt Saracen.

"We knew this show was about the world of high school football and how it affects everyone's lives" in the small town of Dillon, Texas. "So, yeah, people graduate from high school and move on."

But would Matt be one of them?

At the end of the third season, he opted to stay in Dillon following graduation because his ailing grandmother needed him. Making that decision meant Matt had to settle for a small local community art school instead of a more prestigious one in Chicago that wanted him.

"Matt is not your typical high school typical quarterback," Gilford says. "He's a kid who has a lot of pressure on him, not just because he is a quarterback but because of his home life, too."

Gilford will be seen on the first six episodes of the fourth season (now playing at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on DirecTV and coming in summer of 2010 on NBC). Near the end of "Light's" 13-episode run, he'll come back three more times.

"Matt doesn't ever say, 'Oh, poor me!' " Gilford says. "He's always, like, 'Well, this is my life.'"

The same could be said of Gilford. Now leaving his first major acting role, he's moving back into the world of auditions and uncertainty. But he's not crying foul.

"Post Grad," a romantic comedy, came out in September. In November, he'll star in the drama "Dare," about life at a prep school full of secrets.

"I'll miss playing Matt, but I'll also miss working on the show," he says. "It doesn't feel like a job. I'll be missing that part of the world.

"Matt gets it. He gets that there is a bigger world outside of Dillon ... and I'm ready to be part of that."

Terry Morrow may be reached at morrowt@knoxville.com or 865-342-6445. His blog can be found at http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/. He contributes to "Live At Five At Four" on WBIR, Channel 10, and "The Marc & Kim & Frank Show" on WWST-FM, 102.1.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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