Reese Antoinette on ‘Dexter: Resurrection,’ First-Gen Identity and Why Vulnerability Is Her Superpower
“Like my character Joy, I was born in Queens to immigrant parents from Jamaica. That shaped everything. Growing up first-generation, you learn to navigate two worlds at once — the one your parents came from, and the one you’re trying to build in real time. There’s pride in that, but also pressure. I spent a lot of my life trying to honor where I came from while figuring out who I was becoming. Storytelling became my way of doing that.”
We had the pleasure of talking with Reese Antoinette. Reese is a Caribbean-American actress whose work spans television, film, music, and experimental storytelling, emerging as a dynamic voice within a new generation of performers redefining the scope of contemporary screen and stage acting. Her latest role as Joy in Dexter: Resurrection — the Showtime revival of the long-running crime drama — marks a career milestone, placing her at the center of a widely anticipated franchise reboot.
Raised in Queens, New York, by Jamaican immigrant parents, Antoinette describes her upbringing as formative not only to her identity but also to her sense of artistic purpose. As a first-generation American, she learned early how to navigate the duality of cultures, balancing inherited expectations with the uncertainties of forging a new path. That tension — between tradition and self-invention — became central to her creative work. “Acting gave me permission to explore that tension,” she has said, “to give voice to things I didn’t always know how to say out loud.”
Antoinette holds an MFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and trained at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University. While she considered pursuing a more conventional professional route — medicine or law were both on the table — she ultimately committed to performance, drawn by an early and enduring connection to storytelling. A turning point came with her time at NYU, where she studied under movement coach Jim Calder. His emphasis on truth and spontaneity in performance helped shape her approach to craft. “He reminded me that you don’t have to be perfect to be powerful,” she recalled.
Her professional screen debut came in Bad Monkey, an Apple TV+ series starring Vince Vaughn. Though the project marked her first post-grad role, Antoinette arrived on set with extensive preparation — perhaps overly so. She brought notes, wardrobe ideas, and a detailed character backstory, only to realize that some of her most effective work would require letting go. “Preparation is great,” she said, “as long as you also stay present.” She later appeared in the short horror-comedy Sam & Kiki, and in The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire, a feature film inspired by the life and writings of the Martinican intellectual.
In Dexter: Resurrection, which premiered in July 2025, Antoinette plays Joy, the daughter of new character Blessing Kamara, a New York City rideshare driver. The series picks up shortly after the events of the franchise’s original finale, with Dexter recovering from a near-fatal shooting by his son. As the show shifts its focus to new characters and urban landscapes, Antoinette’s role brings fresh narrative depth. Joy, a warm yet guarded acupuncturist, challenged Antoinette to open herself up emotionally on screen in unfamiliar ways. “She reminded me that vulnerability isn’t weakness,” she said. “It’s kind of more like courage.”
Antoinette’s creative work extends beyond traditional acting roles. In 2023, she released What Is Love, an R&B and reggae single in collaboration with Tuff Gong International Records. Her artistic pursuits frequently explore intersections of heritage, identity, and emotional honesty. She is co-founder of The ORIXA Project, a multidisciplinary storytelling initiative focused on Black women’s narratives. The project uses live performance, virtual reality, and augmented reality to reframe traditional storytelling forms. She has served as an Artist-in-Residence at Barnard College and is a member of ONX Studio, an experimental media incubator developed by the New Museum’s NEW INC and the Onassis Foundation.
Equally committed to mentorship and social impact, Antoinette serves as a mentor with Ghetto Film School, a nonprofit dedicated to developing young storytellers from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Her advocacy work frequently centers on youth empowerment, immigrant representation, and the importance of inclusive narratives in the arts.
Despite the increasing visibility of her career, Antoinette maintains a self-care routine grounded in personal sustainability rather than performance. Acupuncture, journaling, and time with loved ones form the foundation of her wellness practices. These tools, she notes, help her remain centered in an industry often defined by unpredictability. In a rare overlap between character and actor, her role in Dexter as an acupuncturist mirrored her own reliance on the practice for grounding and clarity.
Looking ahead, Antoinette is expanding into producing and writing, aiming to develop projects from the ground up. She is especially interested in character-driven work that explores moral complexity and emotional ambiguity — stories, as she puts it, that “make you question things, including yourself.”
When reflecting on the entertainment industry, she emphasizes the importance of self-knowledge and patience. “Rejection isn’t personal,” she said. “And someone else’s win doesn’t mean you’re behind.” Her advice to emerging artists often includes reminders to embrace their individuality, protect their rest, and resist the urge to compare timelines.
Antoinette names Oprah Winfrey as a dream lunch companion — a nod to the kind of thoughtful, emotionally honest conversation she values. Her interest in movement-building, particularly around emotional literacy and vulnerability, aligns with her broader goals as both an artist and advocate.
Now splitting her time between New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, Antoinette continues to seek roles and creative opportunities that challenge her, deepen her empathy, and expand the boundaries of narrative possibility. In a media landscape increasingly attentive to authenticity and complexity, her career reflects a growing demand for stories told from the margins, and from the heart.
Thank you so much for doing this with us Reese! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”? Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Like my character Joy, I was born in Queens to immigrant parents from Jamaica. That shaped everything. Growing up first-generation, you learn to navigate two worlds at once — the one your parents came from, and the one you’re trying to build in real time. There’s pride in that, but also pressure. I spent a lot of my life trying to honor where I came from while figuring out who I was becoming.
Storytelling became my way of doing that. I was always drawn to characters who felt caught between identities, between cultures, between expectations and desire. Acting gave me permission to explore that tension — to give voice to things I didn’t always know how to say out loud.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I really thought I was gonna be a doctor or a lawyer — that classic immigrant dream. But nope… I became an actress. I used to act out movie scenes in my room like it was the Oscars, fully committed. Later on, going to NYU Grad Acting was a game changer. It gave me the confidence and the kind of training that made everything click. I don’t think you need an MFA to be a great actor, but for me, it gave me the foundation — and made me feel ready to play all kinds of characters without judgment.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
One of the coolest, most surreal moments was getting cast in Dexter: Resurrection especially because I was a huge fan of the original show.
The wild part is, I got the audition while I was walking into my acupuncture session in Union Square. I literally stopped on the sidewalk like, Wait… Dexter? And then I found out I booked it during the holidays, which made it even funnier … getting to play Joy during the season of joy.. so wild.
Fast forward, and I’m on set with actors I’ve admired for years. I had this quiet moment like, Wait… I’m actually here. It was such a full-circle moment and one I’ll never forget.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the funniest mistakes I made was on my first project out of grad school, Bad Monkey on Apple TV, I was so excited (and nervous) to be on a real set that I over-prepared everything. I showed up with printed notes, detailed character backstory, and three different wardrobe ideas even though wardrobe had already made all the decisions.
At one point, I was so focused on hitting my mark that I completely missed my cue. Thankfully the team was super kind about it, but it reminded me that preparation is great… as long as you also stay present. The best moments happen when you let go a little and trust that you’re enough.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who made a profound impact on your professional life? Can you share a story?
Jim Calder was that person for me. He’s an incredible teacher and mentor, and during my time at NYU Grad Acting, he completely changed the way I approached the work. Jim has this gift for cutting through the noise — he sees the essence of who you are as an artist and challenges you to lead with that.
I remember one exercise in his class where I was holding back, trying to “get it right,” and he stopped me and said, “You’re editing yourself — let it be messy, let it be alive.” That moment cracked something open in me. It reminded me that truth and play can exist at the same time, and that you don’t have to be perfect to be powerful.
What has been the most challenging role or project you’ve ever taken on, and why?
Dexter: Resurrection has definitely been one of the most challenging projects I’ve done so far. Playing Joy pushed me in ways I didn’t expect. She’s warm, intuitive, and emotionally present but also super private and protective of herself. Finding that balance was tricky.
I’m a little more reserved in real life, so stepping into a character who leads with her heart, even around strangers, forced me to open up on camera in a different way. It stretched me in the best way emotionally, creatively, all of it.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
Thank you! Right now, I’m super excited about Dexter: Resurrection. Being part of a show I used to binge as a fan still feels a little surreal. Joy is such a layered character and getting to step into her world has been such a fun challenge.
I’m also really drawn to stories that center complicated characters. People who make you question things, including yourself. I love when a role makes me sit in the gray area and I want to keep exploring that space.
Looking ahead, I’d love to keep acting, of course, but I’m also producing, writing and creating work from the ground up. Stories that are real, emotional, and honest.
As you know, DEXTER is one of the most popular television shows of the past few years. In your opinion, what was it that really captured people’s attention about the show?
I think Dexter tapped into something really primal … this fascination with the line between justice and vengeance, right and wrong. It made you question your own morality. Like, why am I rooting for a serial killer? But beyond the premise, the acting is just so good. Every performance feels real and layered.
What lessons do you think our society today can take from DEXTER ?
I think Dexter shows us that people are way more complicated than we like to admit. We all have a public face and a private one, and the show really plays with that duality. It also makes you think about how we define justice …what’s right and who gets to decide.
How would you compare and contrast your personal character to Joy, the character you play in the show? How are you similar and how are you different?
Joy and I are both born in Queens, both first-generation, and we share a deep sense of intuition and loyalty but she leads with her open heart in a way that really inspired me. I can be a little more reserved, a little shy at first, especially around new people. But Joy … She’s open, even with strangers. She doesn’t hold back. Playing her pushed me to be more like that. She reminded me that vulnerability isn’t weakness …it’s kind of more like courage.
This is our signature question that we ask in nearly all of our interviews. Can you share “5 things that you learned now, that you wish someone told you when you first started? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1 . Rejection isn’t personal.
It took me a while to realize a “no” doesn’t mean you’re not good. It just means it wasn’t your role and half the time, it has nothing to do with you.
2. You don’t have to be on 24/7.
Trying to constantly network, impress, or post gets exhausting. Being present and real goes way further than trying to be everywhere all the time.
3. Your uniqueness is your power.
The moment I stopped trying to fit into someone else’s box and leaned into who I am, things started to click.
4. Rest is productive.
Pushing nonstop doesn’t make you better it just makes you very tired. Some of my best work came after I took a real break and a full reset.
5. Don’t compare your path.
Everyone’s timeline looks different. What’s meant for you won’t miss you and someone else’s win doesn’t mean you’re behind… so help a friend if you can.
Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.
I’m big on self-care mostly because I learned the hard way what happens when you don’t prioritize it.
For my body, I love acupuncture. I started going back in grad school when I was running on fumes, and it made a huge difference. It helps me relax, gets rid of tension, and makes me feel more grounded. And funnily enough, my character Joy on Dexter is an acupuncturist, so that was a fun little overlap between life and art.
For my mind, I journal a lot. Nothing fancy just getting my thoughts out first thing in the morning, no filter. It’s like clearing out mental clutter so I can actually focus. I started doing it for acting work, but it turned into this really honest check-in with myself.
And for my heart, it’s all about quality time. Being around my family and friends laughing, catching up, doing absolutely nothing or partying! That’s what keeps me sane. It reminds me that I’m more than my work, and that connection is everything.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I think it would be a movement around emotional honesty just helping people get more comfortable with talking about how they actually feel. We’re taught how to succeed, how to hustle, how to keep it together but not how to process big feelings or have hard conversations.
I’d love to see more space for that … if we could normalize vulnerability, I think we’d all feel a little less alone and a lot more connected. Whether it’s through storytelling, art, or just changing how we show up for each other, that kind of emotional fluency could really shift things.
This is what we call our “matchmaker question”, and it sometimes works. Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a power lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I’m literally on a flight to Chicago right now and I feel like it’s super cliché to say Oprah… but it’s Oprah. She just seems like she knows things — like deep soul-level wisdom she could pass down between bites of salad. I’d probably black out halfway through the conversation, but I feel like I’d leave that lunch forever changed. She’s built an empire by leading with intention, empathy, and vision who wouldn’t want to soak that in firsthand? Let’s manifest it. Tag her! (fingers crossed)
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Reese Antoinette on ‘Dexter: Resurrection,’ First-Gen Identity and Why Vulnerability Is Her… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.