Antonia Gentry's Parents Were Cinephiles Which Led Their Daughter to Acting

Antonia Gentry's parents not only influenced their daughter's budding acting career by exposing her to various films, but the actress revealed that her mom and dad have also supported her career. According to the "Ginny and Georgia" star, her mother and father have been "over the moon."

Although Antonia Gentry's parents have maintained lives out of the public eye following their daughter's fame, the actress revealed that her mom and dad have been her number-one fans.

Antonia Gentry was born to parents of different races. And while she also plays a mixed-race teenager still finding herself and not always able to turn to her mother about her experiences in "Ginny and Georgia," the actress shared that it was further from the truth in her real life.

Antonia Gentry's Parents Inspired Their Daughter's Career in Acting

After watching Adrien Brody in "The Pianist," Antonia knew she wanted "to be able to perform something or do something that would move people or change their perspective in some way," following her background in performance.

However, the actress also credits her budding career to her parents, Sandra and Tony Gentry, who exposed their daughter to various films and supported her career. She said:

"My parents were very big cinephiles. They love watching films and TV; they consume television like it's air. And so growing up, I kind of was always exposed to different films and performances."

During an interview in 2021, she revealed that she had moved back into her mom and dad's Augusta, Georgia home, to parents who were "freaking out" over their actress daughter's big break. "They are just over the moon, talking about the show every single day," Antonia said.

Antonia Gentry on Having Parents of Different Races

While Antonia's character in "Ginny and Georgia" — co-starring Brianne Howey and Felix Mallard — has a White mother and a Black father, it's the opposite for the actress in real life.

"My mother is Black. [...] My mom knew how to do my hair. She sheltered me a lot — or tried to keep me from walking out the door wearing my skin on my sleeve," the actress said.

Earlier this year, Antonia took a trip down memory lane and posted throwback pictures of her parents. In May, the actress took to Instagram to share two old photos of her Black mother holding her as a baby, and the third picture was of Antonia's mother wearing a beaming smile.

Earlier this year, Antonia took a trip down memory lane and posted throwback pictures of her parents. In May, the actress took to Instagram to share two old photos of her Black mother holding her as a baby, and the third picture was of Antonia's mother wearing a beaming smile.

In June 2023, Antonia posted her White father wearing a striped shirt as he posed for the camera, and in the second slide, he was photographed bending down to kiss his daughter. "pops 🥰," Antonia captioned the post.

In "Ginny and Georgia," Anotnia's character's mother couldn't relate to her daughter's experience as a mixed-race person. However, that was different for the actress off-camera.

"[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," the actress said.

Antonia Gentry's Parents Raised Her Differently from Her 'Ginny and Georgia' Character

In addition to having a mother she could turn to, her mother could relate to navigating life as a person of color. Antonia humorously revealed that she was raised differently from Ginny in more ways than one. The actress shared:

"My mom's Jamaican; she let me know she's the parent. [...] Half of the things Ginny says, I'm like, 'If I had said this to my own mother, I would be out the door.'"

What Antonia Gentry's Parents Do

According to Antonia, her mother used to write plays, create sets, and design costumes for their local community theater when the actress was growing up.

On the other hand, her father is a decorated firefighter. In 2018, he was honored with the Chief's Award and was described by the Beech Island Fire Rescue team as an "extraordinarily active Firefighter." He also worked in their IT department.

Tony also has a private Instagram account and a YouTube channel, where he posts videos of himself responding to emergency scenes. According to his Facebook account, Tony and Sandra have been married since October 27, 1991.