Josey Hollis Dorsey, the 10-year-old son of the late actress Naya Rivera, has been cast in his first film role in The Burning Valley, a feature debut by writer-director Evan Coury. Josey will appear alongside his father, actor Ryan Dorsey, playing the roles of father and son in the drama set in Pennsylvania’s Rust Belt. Filming began this month northeast of Pittsburgh, with the project scheduled for release in 2025.
The film centers on a steelworker who loses his job after his mill shuts down, prompting a personal journey through his hometown. Coury described the project as a "small, poetic film about deindustrialization with an emotional truth," aiming to capture the history of the region through one man’s experience. The director emphasized that the story is not a biographical account of Rivera’s life but a fictional narrative set in a similar economic and cultural landscape.
Josey’s casting follows his participation in a local theater production of Seussical Jr. in West Virginia, where he resides with his father. His mother, Rivera, died in July 2020 at age 33 after accidentally drowning at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, while renting a boat with Josey, then 4 years old. The incident was ruled an accident by investigators. Josey’s extended family has previously described him as resembling his mother in both appearance and personality, with a strong inclination toward performance.
Ryan Dorsey, who has acted in television series including Justified and Palm Royale, told People in 2022 that Josey had shown early interest in acting but was not yet pursuing it as a career. ‘He hasn’t had the lead part or anything, but he’s so good,’ Dorsey said. ‘I’m just trying to expose him to all the things.’ Josey has also studied violin and piano, reflecting his parents’ artistic backgrounds. Rivera, best known for her role as Santana Lopez on Glee, was an Afro-Latino queer icon whose career spanned music, television, and advocacy.
The film’s production team has not disclosed additional details about Josey’s role or the broader cast. Coury’s feature debut is financed independently and shot on location in industrial and rural settings along the Allegheny River, leveraging the region’s post-industrial aesthetic. The project is scheduled for a limited theatrical release followed by streaming distribution, with a trailer expected in early 2025.