Who Plays Austin’s Dad Gil on ‘Ginny & Georgia’? Meet Aaron Ashmore (Not Shawn Ashmore)

Season 2 of Ginny & Georgia is finally on Netflix, and would you believe us if we told you that Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey) has another new man in town?

Yes Yes! The rumors are true. In addition to Zion (Nathan Mitchell), Mayor Paul Randolph (Scott Porter) and Joe (Raymond Ablack), a character named Gil Timmons (Aaron Ashmore) enters — or rather, re-enters — Georgia, Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and Austin’s. (Diesel La Torraca) lives. And his presence is… complicated, to say the least.

With the help of more Ginny & Georgia flashbacks, we learn Gil’s history with Georgia – or G, as he calls her – as well as what he’s doing in town and how his presence threatens the safe life that Georgia and the kids are trying to build in Wellsbury, Massachusetts.

If you are wondering who is Gil in Ginny & Georgia? Or what we know about Aaron Ashmore, the actor who plays Gil on Ginny and Georgia (and he’s definitely not Shawn Ashmore), read on for Decider’s explainer Gil Timmons. Just be aware that Ginny & Georgia season 2 spoilers ahead.

Photo: Netflix Who is Gil Timmons on Ginny & Georgia and why was Gil arrested?

Gil Timmons, played by Aaron Ashmore, is Austin’s biological father, who was in prison until his release in Season 2. He first appears in Season 2, Episode 5, “Latkes Are Lit” dropping in unannounced at Austin’s school to say hello, he then reappears in Episode 6, “A Very Merry Ginny & Georgia Christmas Special” to make his intentions known. While Georgia and the family are exchanging Christmas presents, Gil knocks on the door and interrupts the holiday festivities. He brings gifts for Austin, Ginny and Georgia; remembers children’s childhood; and makes it clear that because he’s no longer closeted, he plans to be more involved in his son’s life.

It’s initially unclear why and how Gil was arrested, but through a series of flashbacks – in which the young Gil is portrayed by actor Ben Caldwell – we see how he met, fell in love with, was abused and ultimately betrayed from Georgia. We learn that Georgia once loved Gil dearly, but after he began abusing her physically and emotionally, she planned to leave him and run off with Ginny. When she found out she was pregnant with Austin, the situation got complicated, so she decided to embezzle money from Gil’s company and frame him, which got him fired and arrested.

Photo: Netflix

In Episode 7, Gil asks Georgia if he can take Austin to a hockey game and says he wants to see more of his son. Georgia says no to the hockey game, but later that day Gil shows up unannounced (again!) at Austin’s school while Georgia is picking him up and gives him two tickets to the hockey game so that Georgia feels under pressure to say yes. He even forces Austin to ask her for snack money. Ouch! Later in the episode, Gil stops at the Blue Farm Cafe and meets Cynthia. He tells her he’d like to stay in the city but can’t find an apartment, and after learning Georgia doesn’t like him and is suspected of setting him up for adoption, Cynthia discovers he’s in real estate and offers her help him find a place. During episode 8, Gil returns to the Blue Farm Cafe to meet Georgia and Joe tells Cynthia that he doesn’t like Gil and suspects Georgia needs help, which puts Cynthia on red alert. The following episode, Gils sits Georgia down and tells her she’s applying for apartments in the city before threatening to tell Paul about her past secrets if she doesn’t let him have a relationship with Austin and helps him financially.

Photo: Netflix

Gil confronts Georgia again at Austin’s school later in the episode, and Cynthia comes to his rescue. That night, Gil shows up at Georgia’s house angry that Cynthia won’t help him get an apartment anymore. He accuses Georgia of ruining his efforts to find a place to live, starts screaming, throws her on a table, and Ginny and Austin go downstairs to help their mother. Austin, who found the gun hidden in Georgia’s room, shoots Gil in the arm, and the four regain their composure and clean up the mess before Paul returns home. Once Ginny and Austin understand how Gil treats their mother, they finally understand why she made some of the choices she did in the past.

In the season 2 finale, Georgia decides to tell Paul about her criminal past before Gil has a chance to do so, and Paul leaves frantically to digest all the information. The next morning, Paul texts Georgia and asks her to meet him at the office. “For all I know he’s waiting with the cops waiting to arrest me and he just doesn’t want to do this in front of you,” Georgia says, before deciding to go meet him and take responsibility for her past on the spot to run. She arrives at the office and finds Paul, a policeman, and Paul’s lawyer. She assumes she’s going to be arrested, but Gil shows up and things take a turn. “Gil, I asked you to come here to tell you that what you’re doing has crossed over into harassment. You’re a convicted felon, one phone call from me to your parole officer and you’re back in jail,” says Paul. Gil tells him that Georgia isn’t who she says she is and that he’s going to fight for custody of Austin, but Paul shuts him down. “From now on, if you want to see my son or talk to my wife, you do it through me.” When Paul and Georgia are alone, he says he’s still very angry with her, but he can’t see himself going through life without her. They kiss and Georgia rushes home to tell Ginny that Paul still wants to marry her.

Photo: Netflix Who plays Austin’s father, Gil Timmons, on Ginny & Georgia? Meet Aaron Ashmore (Not Shawn Ashmore)

As mentioned, Gil on Ginny & Georgia is played by Aaron Ashmore, a 43-year-old Canadian actor who began his career in 1991 and starred in a number of popular TV shows and movies over the years. According to his IMDb page, the actor’s credits include The West Wing, Veronica Mars, Private Practice and more. Ashmore is best known for playing Duncan Locke on Locke & Key and Jimmy Olsen on Smallville, but if you can’t shake the feeling that you’ve seen him star in other things, that’ll be it. Why? Because Aaron’s twin brother Shawn Ashmore is also an actor.

Over the decades, Shawn Ashmore has starred in Guitarman, Animorphs, X-Men, Smallville, The Conviction, The Boys and more. He is known for his role as Brad in Cadet Kelly, Mike Weston in The Following and Wesley Evers in The Rookie. Shawn was also born a minute after Aaron, in case you were curious.

If you want to keep up with the twins off screen, you can follow Aaron Ashmore on Instagram and Twitter or Shawn Ashmore on Instagram and Twitter as well. Here’s hoping Ginny & Georgia pull a Dead To Me and cast Shawn Ashmore as Gil’s twin brother next season.

Season 2 of Ginny & Georgia is now streaming on Netflix.