Laverne Cox On Being First-Ever Transgender Emmy Nominee: 'I Honestly Can't Believe It'

Laverne Cox made history today...but we're not sure it's sunk in for her yet.

The "Orange is the New Black" actress became the first transgender person in history to earn an acting nomination at The Emmy Awards. Her nomination in the "Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" category was announced this morning.

"I absolutely dreamed about this," Cox told E! News in an interview today. "I dreamed big and wild my whole life. And getting an Emmy nomination is one of the dreams. But I honestly can't believe it. It's really happening."

The Netflix series has been lauded for its diverse and inclusive cast, featuring more roles for women and people of color than most other shows on television, if not all of them. As for Cox, being a trans person playing a trans role has put her in a position of advocacy for LGBT people, whether she meant to or not. "I love being an actor and I love doing what I do, but I also want to make a difference in the world," she said.

Cox is joined in her category by fellow actors Uzo Aduba ("Crazy Eyes") and Natasha Lyonne ("Nicky"), who are also nominated in guest actress roles. Taylor Schilling ("Piper") has a nomination in the Lead Actress category, and Kate Mulgrew ("Red") is the lone nominee in the Supporting Actress category. Meanwhile, "Orange is the New Black" is also nominated as Best Comedy Series, Best Directing (Comedy) and Best Writing (Comedy) and has 12 nominations in total.