Josey Dorsey, the son of late Glee actress Naya Rivera, is set to make his film acting debut alongside his father, Ryan Dorsey.
The nearly 11-year-old has been cast in The Burning Valley, a new independent film being shot in Pennsylvania’s Rust Belt. Josey, who turns 11 on September 17, is listed as ‘Boy’ on the project’s IMDb page, while Ryan, 43, is credited as ‘Father’.
Production is under way in communities along the Allegheny River, with the film making use of the region’s industrial landscape and local locations.
Written and directed by Evan Curry in his feature debut, The Burning Valley follows a steelworker whose life is upended when his mill announces it is closing.
“It sets him on a journey as he wanders through his Rust Belt town,” Curry told the local publication TribLive.
The director described the project as a “small, poetic film about deindustrialization with an emotional truth”, adding that he hoped to capture the history of the area through one man’s personal experience.
The role is not Josey’s first experience on stage. He previously appeared in a production of Seussical Jr in West Virginia, where he lives with his father.
Josey Dorsey follows Naya Rivera into acting
Josey’s move into screen acting comes six years after the death of his mother, who was best known for playing Santana Lopez in the musical comedy series Glee.
Rivera died at the age of 33 after drowning at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, on July 8, 2020. She had been on a rented pontoon boat with Josey, who was four at the time.
Officials concluded that Rivera had used her remaining strength to help her son back on to the boat before disappearing beneath the water. Her body was recovered five days later, on July 13.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the cause of death was drowning and classified the manner of death as an accident. It said an autopsy found no traumatic injuries or underlying disease processes.
Ryan has previously spoken about the lasting effect of the tragedy on their son. Josey remembered that it had been windy and that he had not wanted to enter the water before his mother reassured him.
He also recalled trying to find a life raft after returning to the boat. Ryan said he had repeatedly reassured his son that the rope he saw would not have been long enough to save his mother.
