Welcome to Login

Riley Weston

Ageism in Hollywood is nothing new. Actresses (and even a few actors) will shave a few years off in hopes of being considered for roles. Few, however, went to the extremes of one Riley Weston (born Kimberlee Seaman). In 1998, she almost managed to succeed in fooling talent agents, executives, journalists and producers. Claiming to be a teenager who had left home at 16 to pursue an acting career, Weston impressed the Hollywood powers that be with the teleplay for a pilot for a projected series about three sisters. J.J. Abrams hired her as a staff writer for the 1998 The WB drama series "Felicity" and under that aegis was featured in a special summer issue of Entertainment Weekly. Reiterating her tale that she was a teenager who had become disillusioned with the roles offered to her and had begun to write her own scripts. Touchstone Television was sufficiently impressed with one of her projects to offer a two-year, six-figure development deal. The girl genius, however, proved to be more of a con artist than real talent. While preparing a profile on her, the TV show "Entertainment Tonight" received a tip that Weston was not what she claimed. Upon further investigation, it turned out that she was actually a frustrated, thirtysomething actress who had legally changed her name for "entertainment business." An attractive brunette, she also reportedly cooked up the new persona with the assistance of her ex-husband and manger Brad Sexton.