'Ginny & Georgia' star Antonia Gentry journals about her insecurities: 'When I read it aloud I hear how stupid it sounds'
The Unwind is Yahoo Life's well-being series in which experts, influencers and celebrities share their approaches to wellness and mental health, from self-care rituals to setting healthy boundaries to the mantras that keep them afloat.
Antonia Gentry may not struggle with the same mental health struggles that her character Ginny does on the hit Netflix series Ginny & Georgia, but portraying the teen and her struggles with self-harm and panic attacks can take a toll on her own well-being.
“I think it's very common for a lot of actors to experience the physical effects, as well as the mental effects, of whatever character they are playing,” the 25-year-old tells Yahoo Life. “As an actor, when you find the humanity in the characters that you're playing, you really discover things about yourself as well. It was pretty challenging to remind myself that I'm actually OK, and to separate my real life from my work life in that regard. I underestimated it, especially having to go through that every single day and then go home and you wonder why your body's spent — it’s because you’ve been crying for 12 hours a day.”
The actress is currently working with JOYBA bubble tea on their campaign “Real Talk, Real Tea,” which is in partnership with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. Joyba is encouraging individuals to earn their Be There Certificate through a free online mental health course which provides the skills needed to support one’s peers dealing with mental health struggles.
When it comes to her own mental health, Gentry makes sure she prioritizes connecting with friends, especially given how far her job takes her from home.
“A lot of my friends live in different parts of the world and different parts of the country and so it's really important to me to connect with them no matter where we are,” she explains. Currently, she’s visiting her parents in her hometown, now that filming is on hiatus. “Otherwise, I call my mom every day, or I badger my boyfriend when I’m gone — like, can you answer?”
One thing you won’t catch Gentry doing is exercising by choice. “I am not a huge fan of exercise,” she laughs. “All my friends can attest to that. I have a lot of friends that love working out and they swear by it. I have moments where I'm like, ‘OK, I'm going to go to yoga or I'm going to do Pilates.’ And I feel great for a while, but then it just feels bad again, and I'm like, ‘Why am I doing this? I'm forcing myself to do this.’ But I do like to get out of the house. I like to go for walks. … But in terms of a ritualistic exercise thing, I have yet to commit to something.”
Gentry works on her mental wellness by journaling. “I’ve been reading back aloud the things the things that overwhelm me, whether that’s negative thoughts about myself or things I feel insecure about, and when I read it aloud I hear how stupid it sounds,” she explains. “It feels very real, and it’s often very hard to overcome those feelings and emotions and judgments that you pass on yourself, but I’ve found that a good routine is just saying it out loud, and hearing how small compared to everything else these things can be. It really helps me feel larger than the issue. It helps me feel like I can carry the strength to get over my insecurities.”
The Candy Jar actress is well aware of social media criticism, but tries to take it in stride.
“I'm very aware that people are going to be opinionated, no matter what,” she says. “As long as I remind myself of what I believe in, and as long as I've tried to make sure that I'm representing myself on my platform in a way that I think is responsible, then I know I’m doing my best. I know that there are a lot of people who follow me who are impressionable and they look up to me and that I don't take lightly at all.”
In her daily life, she says she values her quiet time, and tries her best to find moments where she can be as anonymous as possible, despite a career where many eyeballs are on her.
“I think that’s something that’s underrated, because I am a very introverted person,” she adds. “It's such a weird feeling to know that you're a part of something that's so massive and it's impacted so many people in so many different ways. It’s so gratifying to meet fans of the show, or fans on the street, but you do start to feel like you can never relax — that you have to always be on. I like to have a few moments where I don’t have to worry about that.”
