1. Her full name is Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin. How regal!
2. She was born on July 12, 1989. She’s 28 years old.
3. She’s actually Australian. Don’t let her American accent on The Originals fool you. Phoebe is a total Aussie. She grew up in Sydney, Australia.
4. She had braces as a kid.
5. She can dance. When she was four, she took dance classes in ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance, and tap dance. She still posts videos of her dancing to Instagram.
6. She studied theater from the very beginning. When Phoebe was 12, she started taking classes at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP).
7. She got her big break on the Australian teen show, H2o: Just Add Water. The show was about three girls who become mermaids after a mysterious island transforms them and gives them special powers.
8. She has history with her Originals co-star Claire Holt. The fellow Aussie plays Rebekah Mikaelson on The Originals, but she actually played Phoebe’s bestie and fellow mermaid on H2O: Just Add Water. BIGGEST. COINCIDENCE. EVER.
9. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting in 2011. Because she’s fearless.
10. She starred in Miles Fisher’s music video for “Don’t Let Go.”
11. She made her big break in America on the CW’s The Secret Circle. The show was about a secret coven of witches in a small town and Phoebe played Faye Chamberlain, a free-spirited witch who uses her powers recklessly and selfishly.
12. She dated her The Vampire Diaries co-star Paul Wesley. Phoebe and Paul dated from 2011 to June 2017. But don’t worry — they’re still friends and hang out on the regs.
13. She loves babies.
14. She’s passionate and outspoken about global issues.
15. She loves herself some TV. She’s obsessed with The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, and The Affair.
16. She looks exactly like her mom.