Riesner played the bratty child in Chaplin’s underrated gem The Pilgrim. His father was Chaplin's friend and assistant director, Chuck Riesner.
In a 1997 interview, Riesner describes how he came up with his own gag in the The Pilgrim and his favorite thing about this photo shoot:
I remember my dad being on the set during the shooting of my scene. And they used real fly-paper, I'll never forget that, REAL fly-paper. I still feel it on my skin, it was awful! And I remember the fish bowl I said, "I'll throw water and you stretch your hand out to think it's raining"--that was my gag!
But the best part about making the film was when we went down to Hollywood Boulevard and bought me this overall suit. You know how they're crinkly when you get into them for the first time and the legs are stuck together? And Charlie lived in a house on a hill, and there was a long sweeping lawn and then there was the pool. But between the lawn and the pool was sand, and we went down into the sand and had a photo shoot, though for what I don't know. But I was delighted to get those new overalls! (Limelight, Winter 1997)