Dianna Agron pays tribute to Naya Rivera, "my first friend and ally" on Glee

People

"Naya and I fell into stride with such ease, she was my first friend and ally on our show," Agron wrote in a lengthy tribute on Instagram. "In the pilot, our characters came and went with such swiftness. Our enthusiasm brimmed with all of the unknown. We tried to grasp what the other cast members must be feeling as we were working in such separate manners. We dared to dream. What if this show worked? Wouldn’t that be something? Something was brimming, it was palpable. And thank god it worked. Naya’s magnetic talent was going to be unleashed, we just didn’t know it yet. ⁣⁣I’ve been revisiting Naya’s performances on our show and it has brought me great joy. To work with her was a gift. There was a great deal to absorb - her work ethic, her fearlessness, her talent - supreme. Naya had a laugh that would envelop you and hold you captive. She was mesmerizing. That twinkle in her eye, her luminous smile. Naya lead with truth, humor, wit. I loved her for all of these reasons."

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• Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan remember Naya Rivera, announce plans for a college fund for her 4-year-old son: “Naya wasn’t a series regular when we cast her on Glee," the co-creators . "She didn’t have more than a few lines in the pilot. But it didn’t take more than an episode or two for us to realize that we had lucked into finding one of the most talented, special stars we would ever have the pleasure of working with. Naya could act, she could dance, and she could sing (could she ever sing!) She could nail a joke as well as she could crush you with an emotional scene. She could move between being scary tough and deeply vulnerable with ease. She was a joy to write for, a joy to direct and a joy to be around." They added: "Naya was a real pro. Always on time, always knew her lines (which wasn’t easy considering the giant mouthfuls of dialogue we often gave her), always kept everyone laughing on the set. She was warm and caring and fiercely protective of the rest of the cast. She was tough and demanding. She was fun. She was kind. She was generous. There were ups and downs during the wonderful and stressful years we spent making Glee. We disagreed, we fought, we made up, then we fought some more, than we made up again. The kinds of things that happen in a family. Naya was more than just an actor on our show- she was our friend."
• Kevin McHale thinks the late Cory Monteith helped find Naya Rivera's body: "These 2, in many ways, were the male and female versions of one another," he tweeted. "So nice, cared deeply, were stupidly talented, the most fun, and really really good people." McHale -- who says he last spoke to Rivera two days before her disappearance -- also recalled learning of Monteith's death while with Rivera in London.
• Amber Riley calls Rivera "my favorite duet partner": "I love you. I miss you," she wrote on Instagram. "I don’t have words right now, just lots of feelings. Rest In Peace Angel, and know that your family will never have to worry about anything."
• Read more tributes from Gwyneth Paltrow, Matthew Morrison, Melissa Benoist, Pose co-creator Steven Canals, Mandy Moore and Kristin Chenoweth