‘Ginny & Georgia’: Antonia Gentry’s Audition Story Includes a Scary Blood Clot and Almost Failing Out of School
Antonia Gentry took some serious risks to audition for her role as Ginny on Ginny & Georgia. In a few different interviews, the 25-year-old actor told the story of how she almost failed out of school and nearly ignored a blood clot in order to work on the Netflix show.
Antonia Gentry almost didn’t audition for ‘Ginny & Georgia’ because of school
Ever since Ginny & Georgia’s debut in 2021, fans have raved about the chemistry between Gentry and her on-screen mother, Brianne Howey. And yet, there was a chance Howey could have ended up with a different scene partner. Gentry and Howey recently appeared together on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Gentry revealed that she almost didn’t audition for Ginny & Georgia at all.
Gentry was preparing to graduate from Emory University, where she studied drama, when she got an email about auditioning for Ginny & Georgia. However, it was finals week, and she was already juggling school with a part-time job. She nearly passed up the opportunity because she was focused on graduating.
“I was trying to graduate. It was really difficult. I barely did. And I get it in my inbox, the audition. And I almost didn’t audition for it because I thought I was going to fail out of school,” Gentry said.
However, Gentry felt connected to the character of Ginny “in a way that [she] hadn’t before for other roles.” So, she opted to send an audition tape. Fortunately, that didn’t affect her studies, and she graduated in 2019.
Antonia Gentry hid a blood clot in her leg so she could read for ‘Ginny & Georgia’
Gentry booked the role a few weeks later, but she faced another challenge. This time, it was a medical issue. In a 2021 interview with Teen Vogue, Gentry revealed that she got a blood clot in her leg from flying back and forth to Los Angeles to do chemistry reads. If left untreated, a blood clot can turn into something life-threatening.
“That was kind of scary, but I [had] booked the role, and I wasn’t going to tell anyone about my blood clot. I was like, this is too important. I’m just going to deal with it,” Gentry said. “The doctors were like, ‘We need to see you this and such amount of times.’ I was like, ‘Listen, I’m going to Canada [to film the show]. We gotta fix this, ASAP.'”
Gentry added that it turned out OK and she’s “fine now.” She also admitted how “serious” and “scary” it was, but Ginny & Georgia was that important to her.
“I wanted to make sure that I did everything I could to follow through with this,” she said. “And I’m so glad I was able to.”
‘Ginny & Georgia’ could be on its way to a third season
Thankfully, the risks Gentry took paid off in the end. Ginny & Georgia, which released its second season in early January, has been a hit on Netflix. It has remained on the Top 10 charts for several weeks, and thousands of people are talking about the show on TikTok. As Forbes reported, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently called Ginny & Georgia a “phenomenal success.”
Netflix has yet to renew Ginny & Georgia for season 3. However, the streaming data and the co-CEO’s comment have led many fans, and even the show’s creators, to feel confident an announcement is coming soon.
Ginny & Georgia Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for updates on season 3.
