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Local actor finishes last season of 'Friday Night Lights'

Twelve-year-old Charlie Quary relaxes at his Victoria home after the final filming in Austin of "Friday Night Lights" in which he played the part of 'Andre'.
  • Jennifer Preyss •
  • Originally published August 22, 2010 at midnight, updated August 22, 2010 at 10:55 p.m.

Parting is such sweet sorrow for 12-year-old Victoria resident Charlie Quary, who recently finished filming the fifth and final season of NBC's critically acclaimed football television drama "Friday Night Lights."

Filmed in Austin, "Lights" is produced by Emmy Award-winner Peter Berg, who also directed the feature film of the same name. The show is based in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas and attempts to illustrate the grand and complex role high school football plays in small towns across the U.S.

For the past two seasons, Charlie played Andre Merriweather, one of Vernon Merriweather's (Steve Harris) three sons.

While in character, Charlie said he "had to be the most mature brother," but during periods of downtime, he allowed himself to be silly and less adult the with other kids on set.

"The three brothers worked really well together and we spent a lot of time in the trailer," Charlie said. "We would sometimes shoot five hours per day and go back to the hotel and hang out."

Some of Charlie's more memorable moments on set included watching the football game scenes with hundreds of local extras cheering for the show's Dillion Panthers football team.

"For me, it's indescribable," Charlie said.

Even with multiple Emmy nominations through the show's four-year run, including six 2010 nominations, NBC decided to pull the show after failing to find a regular audience.

"I was sad because I wanted to go back," Charlie said. "I didn't want it to be cancelled because I liked seeing all the people."

With a strong passion for acting, and a steady flow of new acting jobs keeping the young actor busy, Charlie doesn't plan to leave the acting profession any time soon.

"I'm just hoping I get lots of (new parts) now," Charlie said.

Charlie is originally from Los Angeles and currently a student of Harold Cade middle school