By: Elena Donatone
After hearing of the tragic death of actress and singer Naya Rivera (1987-2020), I was deeply shocked and saddened by the news.
As I grew up watching and singing along to the phenomenon that was Glee (2009-2015), I felt the need to pay a tribute to Naya’s role in the TV series and how much she was loved and admired by many fans and I.
The actress played the role of Santana Lopez in Glee.
Santana’s journey is inspiring and her personal growth is probably one of the best of the entire series.
Santana starts off as the typical high school mean girl. She is a cheerleader and one of the most popular girls, alongside Quinn (Dianna Agron) and Brittany (Heather Morris).
Santana appears as the kind of person who doesn’t care about anybody but herself. She is very outspoken and often aggressive to all the other Glee Club members. Her attitude makes her quite unlikeable during season one, but that soon changes!
"I mean, it's a Win-Win for me. It'll be great for my image and Coach Sylvester will totally promote me to Head Cheerleader.”
In season two, we discover Santana as a very sweet and caring person, often insecure and scared. That occurs when she finally admits she has feeling for her best friend Brittany and she is in fact gay.
The girl finds it hard to accept herself for who she really is at first. She is a cheerleader and she doesn’t want people to treat her any different. But as the episodes go on, Santana understands there is nothing wrong with being yourself and that your happiness is way more important than people’s opinions.
Her journey is empowering and Naya’s performance was praised, both by critics and fans, as very touching and helpful for young kids struggling with their sexuality.
Santana becomes more gentle and likeable because of her relationship with Brittany as well. Despite all their ups and downs, the two girls are a great example of friends and lovers. And of how your loved ones can help you grow as a person.
Brittany’s pure love for Santana makes the girl more altruistic, and that is inspiring to watch, season by season.
"I love girls the way that I'm supposed to feel about boys. It's just something that's always been inside of me and I really want to share it with you because I love you so much."
Santana also discovers her real potential and she decides to follow her dream of being a singer in New York, alongside her friends Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer).
Her journey in New York is quite powerful and we can see how Santana is truly happy in the big city.
Her transition from being a superficial cheerleader to a strong woman who isn’t afraid to follow her dreams and being herself is what made me love Santana’s character more than anyone else on Glee.
"A star is a star, it doesn't matter where in the sky it shines."
Santana is a great example of how people can change for the better and how being yourself will make you thrive more than hiding behind a shallow facade.
All the songs sang by Naya Rivera on Glee were powerful and among the best performances of the series all together. From "Back to Black" and "Don't Rain On My Parade", to "Mine" and "Valerie", the girl always delivered emotional performances and great energy.
Naya Rivera’s contribution to the success of Glee will never be forgotten. And her powerful voice and great personality will always be remembered among her fans.
Her legacy will remain.
Comments