Naya Rivera's Glee Costars Share Cherished Memories: 'A Gift We Got to Be Around Every Single Day'
Bobby Bank/WireImage Naya Rivera, Heather Morris and Kevin McHale
Naya Rivera's costars are remembering all she brought to their lives — and to Glee.
Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, and Chris Colfer came together on Tuesday night for And That's What You REALLY Missed podcast's Snixxmas Special Charity Drive in Burbank, Calif. The event was held in honor of Rivera, who was known for throwing annual "Snixxmas" parties around the holidays, and to benefit the Alexandria House, which Rivera championed.
During the evening, the Glee alums paid tribute to Rivera, reminiscing on their favorite memories with her and what it was like to work with the late actress on set.
For Morris — who played cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce, the love interest to Rivera's Santana Lopez on Glee — she said any scene shared with Rivera was a memorable one.
"There are so many favorite memories. I don't have a specific moment, but I did really enjoy the scenes where it was just Santana and I because, we all knew as actors, being on camera with Naya was just a gift that kept on giving," Morris, 35, said. "She was always there and always in the moment."
"I just felt so blessed that I got to act next to her," she continued. "She was always my biggest champion, too. In a scene, she would give me anything I needed."
Wes and Alex From left: Heather Morris, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz and Chris Colfer
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One of the more poignant moments for Morris came during the 2011 episode titled "Sexy", in which Brittany and Santana vocalized their feelings for each other by singing Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" alongside guest star Gwyneth Paltrow.
"I think 'Landslide' was very, very special and it always will be," Morris shared. "It just was such an iconic moment, a beautiful song. It was one of the first moments that we had on the show."
McHale, 34, also recalled Rivera's talent, and her ability to nail every take with little preparation.
"Naya could show up and be like, 'What scene are we doing today?' and she would have one of those crazy two-page monologues," said McHale, who portrayed Artie Abrams on the Fox series. "Jenna and I would be going over our two lines we had in the episode."
Ushkowitz, who played Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee, then chimed in to joke how they would be "sweating over their two lines."
McHale continued, "'Oh my god, am I going to say this right? I have two seconds to get the line out!' Then I'd be going to the hair and makeup trailer and [Rivera would] be like, 'Okay, let me look at this,' and then she wouldn't miss a word."
FOX Image Collection via Getty Images Naya Rivera and Heather Morris as Santana and Brittany on 'Glee'
Ushkowitz, 36, echoed his sentiment: "It was the wildest thing to actually witness. She would never jumble her words."
"It was really infuriating and also incredible to watch," McHale joked.
Morris added that it was a "blessing" to see Rivera in action, while McHale added, "She was so good, just so good... it was a gift that we got to be around every single day."
Rivera was pronounced dead in July 2020 after being reported missing amid her boating trip with son Josey at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Her body was recovered days later, and the Ventura County Medical Examiner later ruled her cause of death as an accidental drowning. She was 33.
Wes and Alex "And That's What You REALLY Missed" Snixxmas Special
RELATED: Jenna Ushkowitz Revisits First Time Glee Fans 'Really Saw' Naya Rivera: 'I Fully Burst into Tears'
Earlier this month, Ushkowitz and McHale opened up to PEOPLE about how the sudden passing of Rivera influenced their decision to end their former podcast Showmance and start a new fresh with their new one, And That's What You REALLY Missed.
"Jenna and I initially had started a podcast that was just about co-workers who became best friends, and we met a lot of interesting people like that," McHale said. "But we quickly realized people just wanted to know about Glee."
"It was at the very beginning of the [rise of] rewatch podcasts," he continued. "We started doing it, but it wasn't necessarily a well-thought-out, well-intentioned, well-researched take on it. We were just like, 'Let's just do it.' And then after Naya's passing, we decided we don't want to do this anymore."
"I think once Naya passed, there was a reckoning of sorts for all of us in many, many ways," said Ushkowitz.
After Showmance came to an end, iHeartRadio approached the pair about doing an all-new podcast — and after some "long conversations" together, the recap-driven And That's What You REALLY Missed was launched.
Adam Rose/? Fox Television/Courtesy Everett Collection The cast of Glee
On a recent episode of the podcast, McHale and Ushkowitz discussed the profound experience of rewatching Rivera's performance of "I Say A Little Prayer" on Glee with Morris and Dianna Agron.
"This is the first time I felt we really saw Naya in the show and I fully burst into tears," Ushkowitz shared. "It's also like watching her in her element also, [which] is joyous too."
"She and Heather were just dancing their little hearts out," McHale added.
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iHeartRadio is dropping new episodes of And That's What You REALLY Missed weekly across multiple podcast platforms.
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