Josey Dorsey, the 10-year-old son of the late Naya Rivera and actor Ryan Dorsey, is stepping into the spotlight with his first film role. The young performer has been cast in the upcoming drama The Burning Valley, where he will appear alongside his father.
In the film, Josey will portray Ryan’s on-screen son. The story centers on a steelworker whose life is upended after the mill that employs him shuts down, leaving him to confront an uncertain future.
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Although The Burning Valley marks Josey’s move into film, he is not entirely new to acting. He made his stage debut at age 8 and has since built experience through multiple productions with the Children’s Theatre of Charleston in West Virginia.
Josey’s screen career is already gaining momentum. The young actor has also been cast in Fairy Boy, a coming-of-age film directed by Julia Fox.
Josey was already showing an interest in acting several years ago. In 2023, Ryan revealed that his then-7-year-old was talking about getting in front of the camera.
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“He wants a YouTube channel, and he wants to make videos,” Ryan told E! News at the time. “He wants to do Batman scenes where he’s Batman and I’m the Joker.”
At the time, Ryan was focused on giving his son a happy childhood and supporting his interests.
“I’m doing the best I can,” Ryan told Entertainment Tonightthat same year. “He’s, overall, a happy kid and I’m trying to keep it together and provide a safe and happy life for him. He’s doing really well in school and he has a lot of friends. He’s such a social kid. Everybody loves Josey and he’s funny.”
Josey’s mom, Naya Rivera, died in July 2020 after drowning during a boating trip with him at California’s Lake Piru. He was 4 years old at the time and was later found alone on the boat.
Ryan has made an effort to keep Naya’s memory alive for their son. During a 2025 interview with Good Morning America, he shared that Josey was taking piano lessons and connected the activity back to his mom.
“I’m grateful that he has memories of his mom still,” Dorsey told Good Morning America in 2025. “And luckily, his mother was on television, so she’s gonna live [on] forever.”