‘Friday Night Lights’ star Aimee Teegarden doesn’t get recognized

Aimee Teegarden in 2006, left, and in a recent headshot. (REUTERS/ Handout)

Aimee Teegarden has led a “pretty normal” life since the beloved series “Friday Night Lights” wrapped in 2011. That’s because most people don’t recognize the 26-year-old star when they see her out and about.

“It’s funny. It takes people a hot second [to recognize me], because when I was in ‘Friday Night Lights’ I had super blonde hair and bangs, and I was 16 when I started that show,” she told FOX411. “It takes people like a second and they say ‘You were on ‘Friday Night Lights? Who did you play?’”

Teegarden said fans are surprised to find out she played the coach’s daughter, Julie Taylor.

“It takes them five or six seconds and they say ‘oh wow. I can’t really believe it.’”

Teegarden will surely be more recognizable later this month when she reunites with her former costars to run the Spartan Race in Chicago thanks to a partnership with Marriott Rewards.

“It’s a very physical race. There’s like 25 obstacles on the course,” Teegarden said. “I am so excited… not to just see them but to form a team together.”

She said she keeps in touch with the cast through text messages “every now and then.”

“I feel like everybody is so busy,” she said. “It’s hard.”

For the race, Teegarden will reunite with Taylor Kitsch, Minka Kelly and Zach Gilford. She expects fans will enjoy seeing photos of the costars back together, though they may be “very muddy and a bit bruised and beaten” after the obstacle course.

Teegarden has kept busy in recent years with various acting gigs. She recently finished filming the horror film “Rings,” and she will start filming the new ABC series “Notorious” in July.

She said now that she is older, she understands Hollywood a bit better. Teegarden began appearing in commericals at the age of 10 and landed her role on “Friday Night Lights” several years later. She said in the beginning, acting was just about imitating her icon, Lucille Ball.

“When I was a kid, I loved Lucile Ball,” she said. “I just really wanted to emulate her, I suppose. My passion for acting and producing has just grown over the years.”

Though many child stars struggle during their transition to adulthood, Teegarden’s time in the limelight has been scandal free.

She credits her parents and her average upbringing with keeping her grounded.

“Hollywood wasn’t a huge deal in my life,” she explained. “It was something that I did and something that I loved but I was still going to school and girl scouts and baseball.”

Today, she describes her life as normal and “pretty active.” Her Instagram account is filled with photos of her cooking, running and cozying up with her dog.

At the mention of her Instagram account, Teegarden laughed and mused, “There’s probably way too many photos of my dog.”