Josey Dorsey has a first movie role listed on his IMDb page, and his father is listed beside him in the cast.
The 10-year-old son of the late Naya Rivera and actor Ryan Dorsey is named as “Boy” in the upcoming feature The Burning Valley. Ryan’s character is listed as “Father” on the film’s current IMDb page.
Just Jared first reported the father-son listing on August 29. IMDb describes the project as filming, although Ryan and writer-director Evan Coury have not publicly announced Josey’s involvement.
The role would mark Josey’s first screen credit, but not his first acting work. He performed in two Children’s Theatre of Charleston productions in West Virginia in 2024, beginning with Seussical Jr.
The Burning Valley Follows a Steelworker After a Mill Shutdown
Coury’s first feature centers on a steelworker whose job disappears when his mill announces a shutdown. The character then moves through his Rust Belt town as the loss reshapes his life.
“The movie is about a steelworker who loses his job when the mill announces a shutdown,” Coury told TribLive. “It sets him on a journey as he wanders through his Rust Belt town.”
The New Kensington native described the project as a small, poetic film about deindustrialization and said he wanted to tell the history of the region through one person’s experience.
Filming began in late August around Arnold, Pennsylvania, where the production used the 18th Street baseball field and the Allegheny River shoreline. Coury told TribLive he grew up playing on that field and still has family in the area.
The production is also scheduled to work in Brackenridge at Ernie’s Bar and the United Steelworkers Local 1196 headquarters, with additional scenes planned in Braddock.
Josey Had Already Performed on Stage
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Josey made his stage debut at 8 as one of the Wickersham Brothers in Seussical Jr. The Children’s Theatre of Charleston presented the musical in April 2024 after Josey and Ryan moved from Los Angeles to West Virginia, Entertainment Tonight reported.
Six months later, Ryan celebrated the end of his son’s second theater production in an Instagram carousel. He encouraged Josey to keep taking risks, exploring and living his “best creative life.”
Rivera also started acting as a child before becoming best known as Santana Lopez on Glee. Ryan’s television credits include Justified, Ray Donovan, Big Sky and Palm Royale.
The Film Does Not Yet Have a Release Date
The Burning Valley does not yet have an announced release date or distributor.
For now, Josey’s involvement is public through the film’s IMDb listing and Just Jared’s report, not through a statement from Ryan or the production. If the listing remains in place, it will become his first screen credit after his two community-theater productions.