Mj Rodriguez 'cried something hard' upon learning of historic Emmy nomination

Mj Rodriguez cried when she heard she'd made history as the first transgender star to land a Best Actress Emmy nomination.

The nominations were announced on Tuesday, while Pose star Mj was in Cannes for the annual film festival - where she heard the happy news.

Speaking to U.S. TV show Extra of her reaction, Mj explained: "I was up here with my mum and my godmother. They were eating breakfast and my boyfriend was down soaking up the sun... The moment it happened, my mom grabbed me and she just flung me around. My aunt gave me the biggest hug and I just broke down in my boyfriend's arms. I cried something hard.

"I lost my uncle on 4 July, who I had been with every single day, and I just feel like he placed his hands on me and the cast and all of us today."

Mj will compete for the trophy alongside The Crown's Emma Corrin, and Olivia Colman, as well as The Handmaid's Tale's Elizabeth Moss, In Treatment's Uzo Aduba, and Lovecraft Country's Jurnee Smollett.

Reflecting on her journey in Hollywood, the rising star admitted: "It's kind of mind-boggling and surreal... I never thought a girl like me would get an opportunity to have a moment like this. It just feels so, so good. I feel so happy. I feel seen. I feel represented and I'm thankful, I'm thankful. I had to work real hard for what I got just to see this - it's crazy, it's crazy."

Rodriguez is the third openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy - she follows Rain Valdez, who received an Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series nod for Razor Tongue in 2020, and Laverne Cox, who became the first-ever nominated openly transgender actor for her work in Orange Is The New Black.