Naya Rivera’s son, Josey Dorsey, is beginning to carve out his own path in Hollywood, stepping into the acting world once inhabited by his late mother.
Josey, who will turn 11 on September 17, has landed a part in the upcoming film The Burning Valley, appearing alongside his father, actor Ryan Dorsey, 43.
The young performer, who honored Rivera in January on what would have been her 39th birthday, is already listed on IMDb for the project. His role is credited simply as “Boy,” while Ryan is listed as “Father.”
The Burning Valley marks the feature directorial debut of writer-director Evan Curry. Production is now underway in Pennsylvania’s Rust Belt, where the film is drawing on the region’s industrial landscape and communities along the Allegheny River for its setting.
Speaking to local outlet TribLive, Curry explained that the story centers on a steelworker whose life is upended after learning the mill where he works is closing, sending him on a reflective journey through his Rust Belt hometown.
Curry characterized the project as a “small, poetic film about deindustrialization with an emotional truth,” according to the publication.
Naya Rivera’s son, Josey Dorsey, is making his move into acting six years after the Glee star’s tragic accidental drowning. Rivera is pictured above in 2019 at a luncheon in Los Angeles
Josey Dorsey, who is set to celebrate his 11th birthday on September 17, has joined the cast of The Burning Valley with his father, Ryan Dorsey, 43
‘My hope is to encapsulate the history of our region through one guy’s personal experience,’ he added.
Before landing this role, Josey had a part in the theater production of Seussical Jr in West Virginia, where he lives with his dad.
Josey’s huge breakthrough opportunity comes six years after the tragic death of his mother, who is best known for playing quick-witted cheerleader and vocalist Santana Lopez on the Fox musical-comedy series Glee.
Rivera died from accidental drowning on July 8, 2020 at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California.
The 33-year-old actress had rented a pontoon boat with her then-four-year-old son.
Investigators deduced that Rivera exhausted herself getting her boy back onto the boat after a swim before disappearing beneath the water’s surface.
After a search that lasted days, her body was recovered from the scenic reservoir on July 13, 2020.
Last year, Ryan revealed to People what Josey remembered from that day. Josey recalled it was a windy day and that he didn’t want to get in the water, but his mom said: ‘Don’t be silly!’
Josey has his own IMDb page with The Burning Valley listing him as ‘Boy,’ while dad Ryan is listed as ‘Father’
The 33-year-old Glee actress died in July 2020 after heroically saving Josey during a boat excursion at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Above, Rivera and Josey in 2019 attending the Los Angeles premiere of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Rivera and Ryan were married four years and welcomed son Josey before divorcing in 2018. Above, Rivera and Ryan in 2014 attending the UNICEF Masquerade Ball in Los Angeles
Rivera is perhaps best known for playing quick-witted cheerleader and vocalist Santana Lopez on the Fox musical-comedy series Glee. Above, Rivera and Michele Lea seen in a still from Glee
The boat wasn’t anchored and Rivera noticed it was drifting. She told Josey to swim back. Josey recalled grabbing ‘the tanks’ and pulling himself ‘around the boat.’
‘He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore. It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments,’ Ryan told the outlet.
‘Something he’s said over and over is that he was trying to find a life raft, and there was a rope, but there was a big spider on the rope, and he was too scared to throw it.’
Ryan added: ‘I keep reassuring him, “Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.” That obviously still sticks out in his head because he feels like he could have saved her. I think she just got caught up in a brush — that or a weird undercurrent from the dam. It was just a freak occurrence.’
