Last season, there were reports that NBC had backed away from making Zach -- Claire the cheerleader's buddy -- on "Heroes," gay, and speculation that managers for actor Thomas Dekker, who's no longer on the show, had insisted the character be portrayed as straight.

Not so, says Dekker, here to promote a much bigger role as future savior of the world (and the son of the title character) in Fox's "The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

"Controversy is such a nice dramatic term," Dekker remarked when asked about the fuss that accompanied his leaving the show.

Zach, he said, was meant to be an "ambiguous" character. More to the point, he was never considered a regular.

"There was never an arc planned for him," said the 19-year-old actor, who says he left the show to pursue opportunities like the one we're now hearing about.

"I have a feeling 'Heroes' will be just fine," he says.

If, like me, you hadn't actually formed an opinion about the sexual preference of a relatively minor character, you can find out more about the controversy here.