Antonia Gentry's Biracial Identity Greatly Impacts Her Life

Netflix's new soap-style series Ginny & Georgia has been captivating fans ever since its Feb. 24, 2021 premiere. At the center of that attention is star Antonia Gentry, who plays Ginny, the 15-year-old outsider the story focuses on. The show's signature mix of thrill, emotion, and genuine real-world problems has endeared it to many, and Antonia with that.

The young star is a breakout in her field, and she attributes a lot of who she is as an individual to her unique upbringing. So, what are Antonia's parents' nationalities? Here's what we know about her family and how her early life may have impacted her.

Antonia is biracial, and the influences from both parents' perspectives on life have greatly shaped her own over the years. Her father, a white Christian man born in the U.S., offers one side of the spectrum, while her mother, a Black Jamaican-born woman, offers another. 

Antonia has been candid in the past about how her background has drawn criticism from peers, even resulting in bullying when she was young. Nonetheless, the star has developed a proud stance on her identity as she has grown and refers to those instances in the past as learning lessons that shaped who she is today.

"When I was growing up, I never saw a biracial lead," Antonia told Teen Vogue. "I didn’t see interracial couples or narratives often displayed in television or movies, and that was something I didn’t realize I wish I had until later on."

Antonia brought up how the inspiration for her character, Ginny, came with regard to her attitude as a young woman. "My mom is Black, she's from Jamaica... [Growing up] my mom was someone who I could confide in if I ever felt a certain way about my identity because she understood, her being a Black woman," she said.

"Ginny doesn't really have that with her mom. Georgia tries her best, of course, but there's always going to be that racial divide. As a biracial person, I learned a lot from playing Ginny. There's so many different experiences within the multi-racial community," she continued.

Antonia is quick to recognize the plight African Americans have endured for hundreds of years, but she also acknowledges how different her experience is. "I recognize my own privilege, despite the racism I’ve experienced. Recognizing the OVERT problem is NOT ENOUGH. 

"Racism is a disease that has infected us ALL. Be the cure for yourself, for your community, for your family, for your country. For the world," she said, a poignant indicator of her stance on the subject.