Greta Gerwig has not been recognized for her work before, and is not the type of celebrity that is making headlines often, or appearing in big name movies. This year, the independent film Frances Ha earned her a Golden Globe nomination, and along with many other people, she was very surprised to find out that she was nominated.

The Golden Globes released their full list of nominations on Thursday, and to Greta Gerwig’s huge surprise and delight, she was nominated for Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture-Musical Or Comedy. Despite the fact that she has very tough competition, and may not win the award, it is a honor for her to be nominated along with the veterans such as Meryl Streep.

In the category along with Greta Gerwig’s Frances Ha performance are Meryl Streep for August: Osage County, Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Enough Said, Julie Delpy for Before Midnight, and Amy Adams for American Hustle.

American Hustle also leads all nominations with seven, along with 12 Years A Slave.

The nomination is a surprise to most people including the actress herself particularly due to the small-scale of the film, and its release being in May. The majority of the other films that are nominated are currently in theaters, or have yet to hit major theaters. American Hustle, with the most nominations for example, does not come out until next week.

Gerwig is really happy about the nomination, and could not have asked for a better outcome for a film that she did as a fun project with her romantic partner. In addition to starring in the film as the titular character Frances, Greta Gerwig co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach, and with Baumbach as the director, she could have had some input in there as well.

Say what you like about the Globes, but they're the first awards body this year to recognise Greta Gerwig in FRANCES HA, so hats off.

— Guy Lodge (@GuyLodge) December 12, 2013

The Globes just snubbed Oprah and then nominated Greta Gerwig and Julie Delpy!

— Peter Knegt (@peterknegt) December 12, 2013

She was very excited about the film, and described it by saying “I really wanted to make something that was an anthem for female friendship and the last part of youth. That moment right before you start living your life in way that’s going to be OK for the next 10 years.”

There's something so obvious about a scene with Greta Gerwig dancing down a New York street to "Modern Love" — but I love it.

— Kristopher Tapley (@kristapley) December 12, 2013

Gerwig also described how much fun it is to create characters on a screen, and talked about the excitement of the Golden Globe ceremony. She has already seen the hilarious promos that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey released with NBC in anticipation of the big show.

The comedic actress went on to describe her excitement the morning of the announcement when stating “I still can’t believe it. I keep thinking someone is going to call and say they made a mistake. I’m so honored. All the women in the category are so amazing. I’m overwhelmed. … I’m so honored and completely overwhelmed.”

While it may be hard for Greta Gerwig to believe that she has been nominated, it is a deserved nomination for a creative type of film that often does not get attention during the time of the award shows. Frances Ha is now out on DVD, and currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Image via Youtube