Christina Milian has joined the Starz series Step Up as Collette, a role originated by the late Naya Rivera. Rivera starred as Collette in the first two seasons of the series, which aired on YouTube before moving to Starz. Rivera died at the age of 33 in July from accidental drowning while boating with her 5-year-old son Josey.
Milian said in a statement: “I am so excited to join the Step Up family. I know I have massive shoes to fill. Naya was incredible. I hope to honor Naya, her family, friends and fans with a great performance.” Series star Ne-Yo also said in a statement, “There is no replacing Naya. Let’s get that straight. Her spirit lives on in our memories and every part what this show is and will be. Christina has big shoes to fill and she knows it, which speaks to her poise and respect as a person and an artist. I’m more than certain of her ability to bring an energy and light to this character that Naya’s fans as well as the rest of the world will love. We’ve welcomed Christina with absolute open arms and have rallied around her with love and support. I’m excited and can’t wait for the world to see this!”
Production on the new season of Step Up started in February in Atlanta. The first two seasons of Step Up will be available on Starz across all platforms and will begin airing on the network every Friday at 8 p.m. EST starting on March 5.
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