Now that Greta Gerwig's been cast in the lead of 'How I Met Your Mother' spin off 'How I Met Your Dad' the indie actress is taking a big leap into the mainstream. However before she gets just too famous to keep up with, here are ten facts about the actress to impress your friends with.

Greta GerwigGreta Gerwig, Ted Mosby with indie-cred

1.Greta is a California girl really. She was born in Sacramento, where her mother worked as a nurse and her father worked in a bank. She then went on to study at the all-female Barnard College in New York where she switched from a degree in dance and music to English and philosophy.

2. She originally wanted to be a screenwriter, but got the acting bug after taking a bit part in Joe Swanberg’s 2006 movie ‘LOL’, where she played the adventurously named character, ‘Greta’.

3.Gerwig’s role in ‘LOL’ led to more collaborations between her and Joe Swanberg. In 2007 the pair teamed up for ‘Hannah Takes the Stairs’ where she also got to use her writing skills, co-penning the script with Swanberg.

4.Her next collaboration with Swanberg, ‘Nights and Weekends’ , would see her once again co-write but this time she would also take on co-producing duties. The film, about a couple in a long distance relationship, was nominated for Best Film at the Independent Spirit Awards.

5. Gerwig’s breakout role came in 2010’’s ‘Greenberg’ which co-starred Ben Stiller. For her role as Florence, Gerwig earned a Gotham Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Actress as well as an Independent Spirit award nomination for best actress. ‘Greenberg’ was directed by Noah Baumbach whom Gerwig would then begin dating.

6. Gerwig’s mainstream debut was in 2011's ‘No Strings Attached’. Starring alongside Aston Kutcher, she playing the best friend of Natalie Portman's character. The film recieved mostly mixed reviews, however Gerwig's comedy perfomance was praised. 

7. You also might remember seeing her in 2011’s ‘Arthur’ remake alongside Russell Brand, though you might have wiped that one from your memory. If so, all you need to know is Greta stars as Naomi, a tour guide and Arthur’s love interest. She later admitted to having a 'crazy' crush on Russell and that Helen Mirren let her know it was ok not to reply to emails, handy.

8. In 2012 Great starred in Woody Allen's 'To Rome with Love.' Working with Allen was a dream come true for Greta who had wrote in her High School Yearbook 'living in New York and making a Woddy Allen movie', under where I want to be in ten years time.

9.Greta's standout role came in 2013's 'Frances Ha.' Written with boyfriend Noah Baumbach, Greta got to go back to her first love, dance, to play dancer Frances. The film recieved critical acclaim with Gerwig's performance particularly praised. 

10. Gerwig took part in last years 'YouTube Music Awards' and was filmed by director Spike Jonze dancing to Arcade Fire's 'Afterlife'. The fantastic video features Gerwig doing some amazing free form dancing and being joined by the band alongside some very enthusiastic children.