This past Christmas, the highly-anticipated Wonder Woman 1984 movie was released in theaters and on the streaming service HBO Max after many delays due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The movie was a huge team effort made by many crew and cast members, one of which was AHS alumnus Andy Riddle, who played a small role in the film for eight seconds as the “Donkey Kong geek.”

Riddle got his start in the movie-making and theater industry from a young age, getting into acting and performing at the age of six.

“I was a very energetic and performative child,” Riddle said. “My mom thought maybe we should apply that somewhere, and so I basically grew up on sets.”

His love for acting only grew when he got to middle school and was able to be a part of school plays.

Riddle became a lot more involved in theater and stage performance at his school, which started his high school career.

At AHS, Riddle was involved in the theater company and landed leading roles in school plays like You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Arsenic and Old Lace.

“I was able to figure out my personal acting style and learned what did and didn’t work for me,” Riddle said.
At the beginning of his senior year, Riddle was cast as “Dale Lyons” in the movie Ping Pong Summer. The 2014 coming-of-age comedy film was the turning point that got him into the acting scene.

“That totally changed the film industry for me, both acting and behind the scenes wise,” Riddle said.
Ping Pong Summer served as a catalyst that pushed Riddle to create his own short sketches and films.
From these short sketches and films, Riddle Me This (RMT) Film Productions was started with the help of his sister, Jessica Riddle, and fellow AHS alumnus Steve Aderton.

Riddle went on to star in various other films and graduated from film school at George Mason University, developing his skills as an actor, writer, and producer along the way.

“Each project has been a unique experience in itself, but Ping Pong Summer is still my favorite,” Riddle said. “I loved working with the director, Michael Tully.”

“The cast and the crew were awesome, but mostly it sparked this love for film in a different way than acting had before,” Riddle said. “Plus, I got paid to learn ping pong.”

While filming on the set of the 2019 movie The Nomads, Riddle received news that he had gotten the part in Wonder Woman 1984.

All throughout his acting career, Riddle has had his family and friends alongside him, even when receiving big news.
“I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone, so Jessica and I just stupidly grinned at each other for the rest of the day on set,” Riddle said. “It was an amazing feeling knowing I was going from filming one movie to another.”

Riddle was filming and working on the set of Wonder Woman for 10 days. During this time, he was able to gain valuable insight from a filmmaker that had looked up to and even studied in school.

“I did get to work with the director, Patty Jenkins, who was so sweet and such a positive energy,” Riddle said.
Jenkins even talked with him about his character, explaining some of the symbolism and reasons for including him.
“My character ‘Donkey Kong Geek’, was a symbol to help show the film’s themes of gluttony and greed,” Riddle said.

Being a part of the Wonder Woman 1984 cast and the cast of various other films gave Riddle a lot of insight and inspiration to continue to pursue his passion in the film making industry.

“I love creating films and I love acting and just wanting to continue doing that is probably my main driving factor,” Riddle said. “It also helps that my best friends are all in the same field and we get to share our passions with each other and encourage what we do.”