Disney Thought It’d Found Hollywood’s Next Star – Until The Truth Of Her Shady Past Was Unveiled

Not so long ago, the Disney company was very excited about an up-and-coming star. She seemed to be a perfect fit for the firm; she could write, act, — and perhaps most importantly — she strongly appealed to their teenage key demographic. All signs pointed to her bright future, then suddenly, it all unraveled. A huge lie from the star's past was exposed, and ultimately her career screeched to a halt.

Riley Weston told a lie

Her name was Riley Weston – although she had been through other names. And when embarking on her career as a writer-actress she might well have assumed a little white lie never hurt anyone. After all, Hollywood and the surrounding industries are made up of people who do in fact lie for a living.

Other stars have lied to break through

There are plenty of actors who told fibs when they were first starting out. Take Mila Kunis, for example. When she tried out for the part of Jackie on That ’70s Show, she learned that all the actors had to be 18 or over. So she claimed she was about to turn that age, when in actual fact she was a mere 14 years old. Of course, this white lie didn't come close to the deceit waged by Riley Weston that very same year.

Kunis' lie paid off

And whereas Riley's big secret would ultimately get her disgraced and blacklisted by Hollywood, Kunis’s lie paid off. Even when the show’s producers found out how old their Jackie really was, they decided to keep her on anyway. These days, Kunis is a popular movie star and mega-rich, not to mention married to her That ’70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher. Before everything came crashing down, it seemed like Riley Weston was heading towards a fairy tale ending of her own.

Journalists dug into Riley Weston's past

What was Weston’s back story? Well, she’d had a fairly normal childhood, it seemed. Journalists did some digging once her mendacity had been exposed and discovered she attended Arlington High School in New York. There she’d lived the teenage dream of being both a cheerleader and the girl voted “Most Popular.” Oh, how the mighty fall.