Naya Rivera’s 11-year-old son, Josey, makes acting debut 6 years after mom’s tragic death

Naya Rivera’s son, Josey Dorsey, is following in his late mother’s footsteps as an actor six years after she tragically died. The 11-year-old is set to make his acting debut alongside his father, Ryan Dorsey, in the forthcoming Evan Coury-directed film “The Burning Valley,” according to his IMDb page. His role is currently listed as “Boy,” while Ryan’s is “Father.” Naya Rivera’s son, Josey Dorsey, is preparing to make his acting debut. (Seen here: The late actress with her son.) nayarivera/instagram The 11-year-old and his father, Ryan Dorsey, will star in the forthcoming Evan Coury-directed film “The Burning Valley.” (Seen here: The father-son duo.) dorseyryan/instagram Filming for the project started in Pennsylvania earlier this week, and the cast will head towards the Allegheny River in the western end of the state next month. “The movie is about a steelworker who loses his job when the mill announces a shutdown,” Coury told TribLive in an interview published Sunday. “It sets him on a journey as he wanders through his Rust Belt town.” On his IMDb page, Josey’s role was listed as “boy.” dorseyryan/instagram Additional information about his role is unknown. dorseyryan/instagram Coury described the forthcoming movie as the emotional truth of deindustrialization. Josey’s debut on the big screen comes after Rivera died in a drowning accident while on a boat with her son at Lake Piru in California on July 8, 2020. She was 33. At the time, Josey, who was 4, was found asleep on the boat by another boater. Filming for the movie started earlier this week. dorseyryan/Instagram Rivera (seen here with her son) was best known for her role in “Glee.” nayarivera/instagram Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! During an interview with Page Six in July, Ryan, 43, told us his son’s recollection of the horrific accident, explaining how she wasn’t wearing a life jacket and used her strength to get him back on the vessel before disappearing into the water. The “Glee” alum’s body wasn’t recovered until five days later. She was best known for her role as Santana Lopez in the musical TV series, and as Hillary Winston in the early 1990s series “The Royal Family.” Ryan gushed over Josey preparing for his role in “The Burning Valley,” telling Page Six in July, “He’s been taking piano lessons for a little over a year now, and he’s getting pretty good. It’s the one thing I connected with his mom.” Aside from acting, Josey has kept his mom’s memory alive by learning how to play the piano. She played the part of Santana Lopez. (Seen above: Rivera and Lea Michele in “Glee.”) ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection Rivera (seen here in 2019) died in 2020. Getty Images for Libertine “He’s been taking piano lessons for a little over a year now, and he’s getting pretty good. It’s the one thing I connected with his mom,” Ryan told us. “I said, ‘Your mom — she’s always listening … You don’t understand now, but one day when you’re an adult or maybe even a teenager, you’re going to thank me. You’re never going to quit as long as you’re living with me.’” Additionally, Josey and Ryan have a garden with roses and flowers in the yard of their West Virginia home that they call “Mommy’s Garden.” Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!