Naya Rivera’s Son Josey Lands His First Movie Role

Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey’s son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, is taking his first big step into acting.

The 10-year-old has landed his first on-screen movie role in The Burning Valley, a new feature film written and directed by Evan Coury. According to the film’s IMDb listing, Josey will play a character simply called “Son,” while his father, Ryan Dorsey, will play “Father.”

A representative for Dorsey told PEOPLE that the actor is extremely proud of his son.

“Ryan says he is a very proud dad,” the representative said. “Josey has been working very hard and has shown incredible growth as an actor.”

A Story About a Changing Steel Town

While an official synopsis for The Burning Valley has not been released, Coury told the Tribune-Review that the film focuses on the struggles of a steelworker after a local mill shuts down.

“The movie is about a steelworker who loses his job when the mill announces a shutdown,” Coury said. “It sets him on a journey as he wanders through his Rust Belt town.”

The movie is being filmed in Pennsylvania, near the area where Coury grew up. He described the project as a small, poetic story about the region and its history.

“My hope is to encapsulate the history of our region through one guy’s personal experience,” Coury told the newspaper.

The Burning Valley marks Coury’s feature directorial debut. The cast also includes Tyler Miles, JB Brown, Joseph Ducar, Whip Hubley, Patrick Jordan, Sam Lothard, Joseph Mazza and Sheila McKenna.

Josey Has Already Been on Stage

Although this will be Josey’s first movie role, it is not his first experience performing.

At age 8, he appeared in a 2024 theater production of Seussical Jr. in West Virginia, his father’s home state. Josey and Dorsey moved from Los Angeles to West Virginia in 2023.

He is also set to appear in another upcoming coming-of-age film, Fairy Boy, directed by Julia Fox.

Dorsey has built his own acting career with roles in shows including Yellowstone, Ray Donovan and Justified. He most recently appeared in Palm Royale.

Remembering Naya Rivera

Josey’s first movie role comes six years after the death of his mother, Glee star Naya Rivera. Rivera died on July 8, 2020, at age 33 after drowning in California’s Lake Piru.

Rivera and Dorsey married in 2014 and welcomed Josey the following year. They divorced in 2016, when Josey was 14 months old.

In a 2025 interview with PEOPLE, Dorsey spoke about raising Josey and the challenges they have faced since Rivera’s death.

Despite the difficult moments, Dorsey said his son is “such a happy kid.”

“He wakes up happy, all energy,” Dorsey said. “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.”

Dorsey has also spoken about the heartbreaking fact that Josey witnessed his mother’s final moments.

“It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments,” he told PEOPLE.

Now, as Josey begins his acting journey, his father is proudly supporting him as he follows a path that connects him to both of his parents.