Naya Rivera’s son, 10, lands first film role six years after late Glee star’s tragic death

NAYA Rivera’s son is following in his famous mum’s footsteps and trying his hand at acting. Josey Hollis Dorsey is the only son of the Glee actress who died in 2020 after the pair went swimming in California’s Lake Piru. Naya Rivera’s son, Josey Hollis Dorsey is about to make his movie debut Credit: Splash Naya rose to fame as the sassy cheerleader, Santana on Glee Credit: Alamy Now, the 10-year-old has booked his first film role alongside his dad and Naya’s ex, Ryan Dorsey. The duo are set to play a fictional father and son in the movie, The Burning Valley, written and directed by Evan Coury. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! Josey will make his film debut alongside his dad and Naya’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey Credit: Instagram/Ryan Dorsey Josey witnessed his mother’s death in 2020 when he was just four years old Credit: AFP Ryan is reportedly bursting with pride over his son’s casting. “Ryan says he is a very proud dad. Josey has been working very hard and has shown incredible growth as an actor,” a representative for Ryan told People. The film’s director said the movie was about deindustrialisation. “The movie is about a steelworker who loses his job when the mill announces a shutdown,” Evan told The Tribune-Review newspaper in Pennsylvania . “It sets him on a journey as he wanders through his Rust Belt town.” Following his role in The Burning Valley, Josey will act in Fairy Boy, a coming-of-age film directed by Julia Fox. Most read in Showbiz Josey was just four years old when he watched his mum drown in the lake after the pair had gone swimming. He had told police at the time that Naya had “boosted him onto the deck of their rental boat from behind” before he “saw her disappear under surface of water” after they went swimming. Despite going through such a huge trauma, Ryan told People that Josey is growing up to be a happy kid. “He wakes up happy, all energy,” he said last year. “I’m trying to be the best parent that I can be and raise a good little man. He gives me a reason to keep going with my life.” Ryan talked about Josey being with Naya when she died: “It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.” Comment now