Source: Mini V Magazine (Gen V) | Published: May 9, 2023 | By: Sarah John
With the release of its second season this year, ‘Ginny & Georgia’ really found its footing, much in thanks to Antonia Gentry
Antonia Gentry landed her first major role—Ginny on Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia—fresh out of college. It was the perfect time for the actor to take on the role of a 15-year-old learning about self-discovery, empowerment, and growth. As Gentry said on her Instagram, she felt an instant, unique connection to Ginny’s attempts to find her place in the world: “Finally, a character who was just as confused and imperfect as I was gets a chance to exist.”
Ginny & Georgia tells the story of Ginny and her mother Georgia (Brianne Howey) as they navigate both everyday difficulties and the secrets of Georgia’s past. For Gentry, this means she is often faced with displaying the complicated internal world of a teen. High schooler Ginny deals with typical adolescent quandaries, such as crushes and friend drama, but also problems of a larger magnitude like microaggressions stemming from her biracial heritage and mental health struggles.
Gentry, who grew up acting in her mother’s theater productions, had always known she wanted to be an actress. But no one could have predicted that Ginny & Georgia would seize audiences the way it did. Nor could she have known that she’d find a character that fit her so well.
The Atlanta-bred actor has said that doing scenes in the show allowed her to heal from her own experiences feeling isolated due to her race, and to recover from times she felt “voice-less and unimportant.” Gentry’s voice is certainly being heard now. Read on for her letter to her younger self.
Antonia Gentry: A Letter To My Younger Self
Dear Antonia,
I know the world seems scary. It seems cruel and uninviting. You hide in your ever-changing bedroom, walls once lavender and sage, taupe and gray, turquoise and white. You hide behind your ever-changing style, boyish and mismatched, paperboy hats and 3D glasses, thrifted men’s button-downs, and old-professor ties. You hide behind hunched shoulders and straightened hair, behind the school promethium, behind the thick pages of countless books.
You hide your weaknesses behind postured strengths.
You wonder if you’ll ever walk into a room and feel as though you belong there, as though the invitation was not a mistake. You wonder if you’ll ever be brave enough, smart enough, or dumb enough to dive into a sea of uncertainty. You wonder if you’ll learn to swim. You wonder if beauty will ever be a tangible thing, or if it will remain abstract, elusive, and forever at the mercy of harsh eyes and snapping teeth that smile at you one minute and lash out at you the next.
You think about failure and disappointment. You wonder if you will ever be enough or do enough.
You think about love. You fear its impact, the space it will take up in your life, and the gaping hole it might leave should you drop your guard. You think about ever finding it again, and if so, how many times.
You wonder if you’ll ever love yourself enough to survive life’s challenges. Antonia, I just want to say, with the utmost sincerity: You will be okay.
