Six years after losing his mother, Naya Rivera’s son is taking a meaningful step into the same profession that shaped both of his parents’ lives.

Josey Hollis Dorsey, now 10, has booked his first on-screen acting role. And he will not be making that debut alone.

Josey is set to appear alongside his father, actor Ryan Dorsey, in the upcoming feature film The Burning Valley. Their roles carry a fitting connection: Josey is listed as playing “Son,” while Ryan will portray “Father.”

For a child whose family history is so closely connected to television and acting, it marks a striking new chapter.

Josey is the only child of Rivera, best known for playing Santana Lopez on Glee, and Ryan, whose television credits include Yellowstone, Ray Donovan, Justified and Palm Royale. Now, years after Josey first experienced acting onstage, he is preparing to make the transition to film.

A Father-and-Son Movie Debut

The Burning Valley is being made by writer-director Evan Coury, who is making his feature directorial debut.

Production began in Pennsylvania in August, with filming taking place around Brackenridge and Arnold. Coury grew up in nearby New Kensington, giving the project a strong connection to the region where its story unfolds.

The movie centers on a steelworker whose life changes when the mill employing him announces that it will close. After losing his job, the man begins moving through his Rust Belt community, and the story follows that personal journey against a larger backdrop of industrial decline.

Coury has described the project as intimate and poetic, with the experience of one character being used to reflect the history of the area.

For Josey, however, the production carries an entirely different significance.

It will be his first appearance in a movie — and his father will be right there with him.

The cast also includes Tyler Miles, JB Brown, Joseph Ducar, Whip Hubley, Patrick Jordan, Sam Lothard, Joseph Mazza and Sheila McKenna.

This Isn’t Josey’s First Time Acting

Although The Burning Valley will introduce Josey to movie audiences, acting itself is not completely new to him.

At age 8, he appeared in a 2024 stage production of Seussical Jr. in West Virginia.

That performance came after Ryan and Josey relocated from Los Angeles to West Virginia in 2023.

The theater role provided Josey with an early opportunity to perform in front of an audience, but his new project represents a considerably different milestone. A film set brings him directly into the professional world his parents knew so well.

And this time, acting becomes something he and his father can experience together.

The simple casting descriptions — “Father” and “Son” — make the pairing especially poignant.

Their real-life relationship has already carried them through experiences far more difficult than anything scripted for a movie.

Josey Was Only 4 When Naya Rivera Died

The news inevitably carries memories of Rivera, who died on July 8, 2020, at age 33.

Josey was just 4 years old.

Mother and son had been spending time together on a rented boat at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. They went swimming, but Rivera encountered difficulty in the water and drowned.

Her death devastated her family, friends and fans, while leaving Ryan with the responsibility of raising their young son.

Rivera and Ryan had married in July 2014. Their marriage lasted two years before Rivera filed for divorce in 2016, when Josey was 14 months old.

Despite their relationship ending, the two remained permanently connected through their son.

After Rivera’s death, Ryan’s focus became helping Josey grow up while also carrying his own grief.

Years later, he spoke about the emotional reality of parenting a child who had endured something extraordinarily painful at such a young age.

Ryan has described Josey as an energetic and happy child despite everything he has experienced.

He also said raising his son gave him a reason to continue moving forward.

Ryan Has Tried to Keep Josey Moving Forward

That bond now takes on a new form as father and son prepare to work together.

For Ryan, watching Josey step into acting may carry complicated emotions.

Josey comes from two performers.

His father continues to act professionally, while his mother became internationally recognized through Glee. Yet Josey’s path does not appear to be simply about following a famous parent.

His first steps have happened gradually.

First came a local stage production.

Now comes a feature film.

And instead of entering that environment alone, he will have his father beside him.

There is also something quietly meaningful about the timing.

Six years have passed since Rivera’s death. Josey is no longer the 4-year-old boy whose tragedy became known around the world. He is 10 now, developing interests and experiences of his own.

His movie debut becomes part of that continuing story.

It does not erase what happened.

It shows that his life has continued to grow beyond it.

A New Chapter for Josey and His Dad

There is no indication yet of how large Josey’s role in The Burning Valley will be, and a full official synopsis has not been released.

But the milestone itself is already significant.

Josey will appear in his first feature film alongside Ryan, turning what could have been an intimidating first professional screen experience into something shared between father and son.

For audiences who remember Rivera and have followed Josey’s story since he was very young, the casting is likely to carry an emotional resonance far beyond one movie credit.

His mother built a career performing.

His father continues to work as an actor.

Now Josey is beginning to discover what performing might mean for him.

At only 10 years old, no one knows whether The Burning Valley will be the beginning of a long acting career or simply one memorable childhood experience.

For now, it is something more personal.

It is a son stepping in front of a movie camera for the first time — with his dad standing beside him.