Many fans, colleagues and friends have publicly said goodbye to Naya Rivera. Chris Colfer now finds particularly touching words.
A week ago, the authorities confirmed that US actress Naya Rivera (1987-2020) drowned in Lake Piru, California. Countless colleagues, friends and fans have said goodbye to the "Glee" star in the past few days, including their series colleague Chris Colfer (30). In "Variety" Colfer now reminds of Rivera again – and chooses touching words.
"I'm not sure that anyone on earth can pay tribute to Naya Rivera that she deserves," Colfer opens a self-written article. Losing them is "a nightmare". He wondered how "a person could be as talented, funny and beautiful as Rivera at the same time." "How can a single person be responsible for so much joy and be the center of so many wonderful memories?"
Her performance was magical
According to Colfer, hearing Rivera singing and performing was magical: "Naya didn't just sing a song. She brought it to life." With her "heroic and groundbreaking" portrayal of Santana Lopez in "Glee", Rivera "inspired millions of young people around the world, especially in the LGBTQIA community". Sometimes Colfer was so fascinated by Rivera's performances that he forgot that he was in the middle of recording a scene with her.
Rivera was also one of the funniest people Colfer has ever met: "Naya was able to defuse a bomb with a witty remark." Her taunts and counterattacks were legendary. The actor remembers several examples, but one thing seems to have particularly impressed him: "I will never forget how she once turned to me during a heated debate between an actor and a director and asked with a cheeky grin: 'It is this is a bad time to tell someone that the DVD player in my trailer is broken? '"
A cool sister and born mother
Colfer was able to talk about everything with Rivera. "She was the cool older sister who was asked for advice, where you could let off steam or who could talk to you about the latest gossip," explains the actor. Having his colleague close to him gave him a feeling of security. You could always rely on them. At the same time, Rivera was never afraid to oppose authorities and address grievances.
What Rivera wanted most was to become a mother. "When her son Josey was born in 2015, it was as if a missing piece of Naya had finally arrived," continued Colfer. He had never seen anyone happier than when Rivera could rave about her son. Until the bitter end, she was "an extraordinary mother".
The actress and her son had swum together in Lake Piru before she drowned. Before that she helped Josey back on a rented boat. "We believe she has used enough energy to get her son on the boat, but not enough to save herself," said Sheriff Bill Ayub a few days after the incident.