It's a cloudy spring day outside when PEOPLE StyleWatch enlisted a crew to shoot the cover of the summer issue, but luckily, inside the studio, Antonia Gentry is bringing the sunshine. (A prop stylist schlepped in more than 1,000 pounds of sand, while a team of five inflated a giant beach ball.) "Hi, I'm Toni!" she says with a warm smile as she sits down for her interview in a white miniskirt, bra top and a New York City varsity jacket. Gentry, 27, will take the summer by storm when she returns toGinny & Georgiafor itshighly anticipated third seasonon June 5. In 2019 Gentry landed the role of Ginny Miller, a biracial teen struggling to find her identity while dealing with mental health issues. Ginny & Georgiaquickly climbed the Netflix charts and launched Gentry to stardom. It was "my first job ever," she tells PEOPLE. "I'm just so grateful to have the privilege to be able to play a character like this." (By season 2, it was no. 1 on Netflix after dethroningWednesday.) ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ While fame came nearly overnight, the actress, who was born and raised in Atlanta, has been working toward this moment since she was 5 years old. "My parents found an old video of me when I was a kid monologuing into the camera and coming up with some character," she recalls. "I wanted to see if I could cry on command for the first time. One tear came down my face, and then I just sort of snapped out of it, and I was like, 'I want to be an actor.' " Gentry attended a fine-arts high school in Augusta, Ga., then studied drama at Emory University. The same week she graduated, she got the audition for the Netflix show—and the rest is (Hollywood) history. Since the first episode, Gentry slipped into her character with the skill of someone who had been acting professionally for years. She navigated the balance of relatable teen moments with heavy topics so well, you'd expect her IMDb page to be packed with credits. Gentry owes her level head to her parents and her stable upbringing, she says. "I was able to figure out who I was and make all of my friends and live a normal life, for lack of better words, but without being pressured to go into anything before I was ready. And when I told my parents, 'I want to pursue this,' they were super supportive." ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ Even with the show's passionate fanbase and her own 8 million social media followers, Gentry is still just "Toni" to those closest to her. "I had to quickly learn and figure out a way to exist in the public without allowing it to change who I am. It's a lot to deal with, and it's good to find ways to sort of separate that from yourself and keep good people around you," she says. "My friends support me, but they also don't care at all that I'm doing this. It's nice because they know me for who I am, as opposed to what they see onscreen." Gen Z was quick to lock into the show and find comfort in watching Ginny navigate the pressures of daily existence as a high schooler trying to find her footing and manage complicated family dynamics. The show also addresses much more serious topics, such as self-harm, in a careful and thoughtful way that promotes the importance of seeking help and community. "I have received a lot of messages from fans about how much the show has allowed them to find therapy, get closer to their family, start conversations that they've been too afraid to start, discover themselves, accept themselves," she says. "Hearing all of the many ways in which the show impacts people around the world, that's the craziest part of it to me—how globally connected people are to these characters. It is really gratifying, humbling, and it just makes the job all the more meaningful." Along with the excitement of being a streaming superstar comes the pressure of being a role model. And Gentry immediately embraced the chance to champion representation on the show. Gentry wearing her natural curly-hair texture as Ginny was intentional—and symbolic for those figuring out how to fit in. "There are so many different layers of representation that are important, and one of the things that I'm so glad that I'm able to do on the show is wear my hair naturally," she says. "It's so nice to see now that a lot of young, impressionable girls who look like me or have curly hair or whatever that may be are being represented more and more." "Our show does a good job of providing audiences with someone for everyone," she adds. "If it's not Ginny you relate to, it could be Max, it could be Abby, it could be hopefully not Georgia, in the sense that, you know what I mean [Editor's note: She's a murderer!], but could be Georgia in the sense that maybe there's a single mom out there." Gentry haspartnered with brands like Avedafor its curly-hair product range with the intention of helping others embrace their textured hair. ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ "You don't always meet people who know how to take care of curly hair, and I think we're seeing that kind of change in a positive way," she says. "If I can be a part of that, that's fantastic." She even played up her curls on-set withPeople StyleWatch. "I love to make my curls big and wild, and I feel like myself when I was young and running around the house," she says. "Don't get me wrong, I will switch up my hair all the time, but it's also nice to be able to just exist and be myself." Gentry is inspired by other Black women who paved the way. She recalls one pivotal moment at the 2023 SAG Awards. "Viola Davis was there, and I remember walking past her table, doing a double take and freaking out," she says. Gentry knew she would regret not approaching Davis, so "I downed my champagne, and I walked over," she remembers. "I was like, 'Excuse me . . . ' And there's a photo of me meeting Viola Davis and just telling her how much I admire her work." "I look at it every now and then. She was very kind and gracious. It's one of the biggest pinch-me moments." A quick scroll through her Instagram feed, and it's clear Gentry is very much in the fashion fold. Fromrocking Miu Miu in Paristo a front row seat at theCarolina Herrera show, she knows her way around designer labels. "I feel so insanely lucky to just be introduced into the world of fashion in the ways that I have been," she says. "I used to hate wearing dresses my whole life, but now I feel like I have my life together when I'm wearing a Carolina Herrera dress. It's a chance to explore different facets of myself." ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ Growing up, Gentry had "a very wacky sense of style—I was more of a maximalist," she says. "In middle school and high school, I would wear such crazy clashing patterns and grandpa blazers and ties with bright pants. I don't know what I was doing, but it didn't matter to me." While she admits that she's "a bit more intentional" with her dressing now, she still loves to pack her closet with things that bring her joy. "I tried a capsule wardrobe once, and it didn't work out," she says. "I am a hoarder for sure. I have way too many pairs of shoes. Shoes are my downfall, and in fact, I'm moving soon, and I'm dreading having to go through my shoe closet and make some decisions." One look she was surprised to fall in love with on herPeople StyleWatchcover shoot was a red Patou two-piece featuring abubble-hem miniskirt. "I know it's a controversial topic, but I might have to get into the bubble-skirt trend," she says. "It's a new thing to add to my wardrobe." When Gentry does get to play dress-up on the red carpet, she reaches for pieces that make her feel "powerful." "I love when I get to wear a suit. One of my favorite suits that I wore was a Valentino—it was just a suit jacket and shorts connected. I was like, 'If I could wear a suit like this every day, I would get things done.' " ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ But if you were to bump into the star on a random Tuesday, she's likely in something she's thrifted. Her go-to uniform consists of "a nice pair of sneakers, a good pair of pants and a cropped top because I'm short, and I need to pretend that I have long legs," she quips, "with a slicked-back bun and sunglasses. When I'm comfortable, I'm confident. That's my 'I've got things to do today look.' " And when she needs to look for outfit inspiration, she just steps outside onto the streets of New York City— her home since she moved in the fall of 2021. "In New York you can walk down the street and see someone dressed to the nines and be inspired by what they're wearing," she says. "I look around, and I see so many well-dressed people, and I'm like, 'Okay, I'm going to copy that person the next time I get the chance to.' " After an explosive cliff-hanger and painful two-year wait,season 3 ofGinny & Georgiawill premiere on June 5 with a continuation of all the nail-biting storylines it's known for. ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ Ginny will be roaming the halls of her high school carrying the weight of her mother's criminality as Georgia defends herself in court (we're told we can expect a stellar lineup of blazers) for committing murder (allegedly!). Playing a 17-year-old has its challenges, but mostly it's been a joy for Gentry. "I started the show five years older than my character, and I am currently 10 years older than that same character. Canonically only eight months have passed—and that's insane," Gentry muses. "It's like putting on your favorite coat again. No matter what, we are always going to be shaped by that time in our lives," she says. "The coming-of-age story is so prevalent for a reason; it's nice to continue to walk in those shoes. It's also just good to sort of have that catharsis of referencing my younger self." ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ As for what 17-year-old Ginny has in common with 17-year-old Toni? They both love an E-boy. "I definitely had a crush on a Marcus-type in high school," Gentry says of her costar Felix Mallard's character. "I was very much into the brooding sort of artist, skater dude. Other than that, I was awkward and quiet. So I really do draw on that part of me for the character—my awkwardness and my quietness as a teenager." Gentry has found a tight bond and community with her costars, especially with Brianne Howey, who plays Georgia. "I look up to Brianne so much—she's like an older sister to me. We're both cackling in the corner all the time. She's so funny but also someone who has such grace, such kindness, such an energy about her," says Gentry. "She's a wonderful scene partner. And anything that Bri does, I support. She's just a fantastic person." ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ Gentry is savvy enough to skirt around any real spoilers for the upcoming season, but she can confirm that season 3 will "see Ginny and Georgia switching roles in ways not seen before." "The highs get really high, and the lows get really, really low," Gentry says with a head shake. "You're going to have whiplash. Like you need painkillers for the amount of times you're going to double take. It's going to be a good one." PhotographerRosaline Shahnavaz CinematographerJosh Herzog HairNai'vasha/ The Wall Group MakeupCharlie Riddle/ The Wall Group ManicuristMo Qin/ The Wall Group StylistSarah Slutsky Tooley/ Forward Artists Set DesignAlice Jacobs/ Walter Schupfer Read the original article onPeople
