Naya Rivera’s Son Scores First Acting Role 6 Years After Her Death
Naya Rivera’s Son Scores First Acting Role 6 Years After Her Death
Paige StroutMon, August 31, 2026 at 12:15 PM UTC
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Naya Rivera and Josey Hollis attend the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' - Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images
Naya Rivera‘s son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, is following in the late star’s footsteps.
According to an IMDb page for the 10-year-old, Josey will star alongside his father, Ryan Dorsey, in the upcoming film The Burning Valley. Ryan will reportedly play “Sam Pope” while Josey will co-star as “Boy.”
Writer-director Evan Coury opened up about the project in a recent interview with the TribLive, a local Pennsylvania newspaper. “The movie is about a steelworker who loses his job when the mill announces a shutdown,” he described. “It sets him on a journey as he wanders through his Rust Belt town.”
Coury said the film is about deindustrialization, adding, “My hope is to encapsulate the history of our region through one guy’s personal experience.”
While the film marks Josey’s on-screen acting debut, Ryan is best known for roles in Justified, Pitch, Yellowstone, Big Sky, and Palm Royale. Rivera, meanwhile, scored her breakout role as Santana Lopez on Glee, which ran from 2009 to 2015. Her more recent acting roles included Devious Maids, Mad Families, and Step Up: High Water.
Josey’s upcoming acting debut comes six years after Rivera died at the age of 33 in 2020. Rivera died as a result of drowning while trying to get herself and Josey back onto their rental boat in Lake Piru in California.
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Rivera and Ryan welcomed their son one year after they tied the knot in 2014. The former couple finalized their divorce in 2018.
Ryan has continued to share glimpses into Josey’s childhood with fans via social media. “120 months… 521.78 weeks. 3,652 days gone by in a flash…. Our sweet baby boy @joseydorsey is 10,” he wrote alongside Instagram pics of Josey in honor of his 10th birthday in September 2025. “I cannot believe how fast you’ve become the strong, curious, funny, bright and intelligent 10 year old that you are today. I love you more than all the stars in the galaxy. I’m so proud to be your Dad, my guy.”
Earlier that year, Ryan wished Rivera a “Happy Heavenly Birthday” in an emotional Instagram tribute. “5 birthdays since you’ve been gone. Thoughts everyday about how it went wrong. The memories attached to places, Still see all the things, see all our faces. Visions of happiness and sadness,” he said in January 2025. “I shake my head often still in disbelief, They say time heals all, but all is not grief. Doing the best I can for our JoJo Binx.”
Ryan continued, “As the time goes by, Im often alone and sit and think. I think more of our better times, Like this picture from the past, but it still fucking stings. So give Emmy and Lucy one good rub, And if you’re reading this, Be kind to the one’s you love, You’ll never know when you give your last hug.”
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
