Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Jennings traveled quite a bit as a child thanks to her mother's job as a Scandinavian Airlines employee. She visited Africa when she was a year old, and remembers visiting Italy at the age of 3.

During her travels, Jennings' mother, Ann-Charlotte, met her father, an artist known as Prophet, in New York. After they were introduced by a mutual friend, they discovered that they were both jazz lovers. It took a while, but the couple started dating. Shortly after they married, they moved to Sweden.

"It was definitely love," says Jennings, "because my dad really hates cold weather."

Jennings' mom died when the future SUN star was still a child. Raised by her father, who never remarried, Jennings shares a strong and supportive relationship with him. By the time father and daughter moved to Los Angeles in the early '70s, Jennings was 7 and a guest artist at one of her father's shows. Her oil paintings sold for as much as $15.

"They were abstract," says Jennings. "They were tiny. Three-inches by five-inches, six -by-eight maybe. My dad made sure I signed a contract too."

By the time she reached 7, Jennings and her father were in Jet magazine as Picture of the Week. When she made her Sesame Street appearance, her co-star was Richard Pryor, a friend of her dad's, as well as Pryor's daughter. It was an ad-lib segment that was sheer fun."

"I was surrounded by artists, actors, musicians," says Jennings. "When I was very young, I was surrounded by jazz musicians. Even now I fall asleep when I listen to jazz. It's really relaxing. I've gone to hear Dad's friends, and I've actually, as an adult, been asleep in the front row."

The soap star admits that had acting not taken off, she would likely be involved in some aspect of music, though not as a musician. "Likely behind the scenes," she says. "I played a cowbell in a show one time. That's the extent of my playing talent. I took a few piano lessons, but the teachers were always too hard on me."

When she decided to pursue acting, Jennings landed in a popular Got Milk campaign, which helped her land some music videos. The ad also reminds her of a tragedy that hit her life. Her friend, Keith Amos, who was in the milk spot with her, recently died of an asthma attack. "At the memorial, at a dance club, everyone had the greatest stories about him," says Jennings. "He was a larger-than-life individual, able to do whatever he wanted. [He] had a lot of spontaneous get-up-and-go. He was a special, giving individual."

The actress is quick to point to her relationships with friends and her father, who lives within walking distance from her home, as "what keeps me grounded. I really appreciate them. I'm grateful for so much in my life."

Her feelings for her father and her friends may explain Jennings' reputation for being the opposite of her manipulative character.

As Jennings made her way into the movies, she landed roles in Die Hard 2 and Seven. Playing a soap star in Low Down Dirt Shame foreshadowed her future career. Her other television credits includes Spawn, HBO's racy animated series for adults, in which Jennings provides a regular voice-over. She's also had parts on Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Living Single, and Baywatch Nights.

SUN has become a wonderfully satisfying "regular job" for Jennings, and she loves the camaraderie of her screen family. but she's quick to point out that she doesn't bring Virginia home with her.

Virginia's kinder, gentler side does exist, and it's especially evident with her son, Jimmy, and in her caring for Michael. Her tactics, however, are "pretty out there, but she manages to find ways of justifying it all."

Scenes between Virginia and Vanessa during the earthquake this past summer and those tender scenes with her onscreen son are among the actress' favorite. Virginia's turkey-baster insemination of Vanessa was, "over the top. As an actress, I did the job and didn't think about it much."

Even though Jennings enjoys her part, she wants to see some changes in Virginia's love life. "[Virginia] can still have feelings for Michael but needs to realize there are other options out there. She needs to realize that she is worthy."