Alex Riley is just over a year removed from his WWE release, and had thrown himself full force into a new career as an actor (and is now going by his real name, Kevin Kiley Jr.). His first major gig is a guest spot on the phenomenal new Netflix series GLOW, where yes, you can finally treat yourself to an Alex Riley sex scene.
We caught up with Kiley on the red carpet of the Los Angeles premiere for GLOW, and he talked to us about his fantastic new journey in life as an actor.
With Spandex: What is it like being able to say you’re a part of this huge new Netflix series?
Kevin Kiley Jr.: One of the best days of my life, one of the biggest honors I’ve ever been given, is to have a role in this show, this early in [my] transition into acting. But also to be part of a project like this, with Jenji Kohan and Alison Brie, everybody that created the show … The reputation that they have in Hollywood, and [I’ve overwhelmed] they picked me to be a guest star on it, and to play a role not only in something historic, but something groundbreaking as well, for women.
I know you’re a longtime fan and that you must have watched the original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Were there any of the G.L.O.W. Girls that you had a crush on when you were younger?
Hollywood was one of the girls that I loved. And just the whole thing, it fits right into the way I viewed wrestling as a whole. The product that they put on was fun, it was entertaining. It was just as good as anything that WWE or WWF was doing at the time, and it just showed that women can do it just as well, and can be just as talented and just as entertaining. So again, a tremendous, tremendous honor for me, it really is.
Could you ever have imagined that when you moved from WWE to acting, your first job would involve you doing a sex scene on a big Netflix show?
[laughs] No! No, I could not! That being said, it was the first, like you said, the first role I’ve ever had in Hollywood, and I don’t have any experience [with sex scenes] on camera. It was a lot to take in on the first day, but I think it went well. And I think the show is just going to be spectacular.
Do you have any other projects lined up? Where can fans look for you next?
I have a feature film coming out in 2018 called Glass Jaw. I have a role in that. But I’m gonna be [acting] for a long time. I’m hitting the streets here in Hollywood, so I’m imagining and predicting a very big, very good career out here. I think I fit in well, I do love the business, and I just enjoy it. It’s a very, very cool, great thing.
