The 'Pose' star 'cried something hard' as she's overwhelmed with emotions after making history as the first transgender star to get a Best Actress nomination at Primetime Emmys.
- Jul 15, 2021
AceShowbiz - MJ Rodriguez "cried something hard" 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 (13Jul21) while "Pose" star MJ is currently in Cannes for the annual film festival. And speaking to U.S. TV show "Extra" of her reaction to the news, 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 Uzo Aduba, Emma Corrin, Olivia Colman, Elisabeth Moss, and Jurnee Smollett.
And reflecting on her journey in Hollywood, MJ 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".
