“When we’re given the opportunity, we can grow into it, and so far beyond it,” Mau tells EW.

With their historic Emmy nominations Wednesday, True Detective season 4 star Kali Reis and Baby Reindeer‘s Nava Mau are not just opening doors — they’re breaking them down.

Reis is the first Afro-Indigenous actress nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, and she is one of two Indigenous nominees in the category this year alongside Under the Bridge‘s Lily Gladstone. For her part, Mau makes Emmys history becoming the first trans performer nominated for a limited series or TV movie acting category. Other nominees in their category include Dakota Fanning (Ripley), Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer), Aja Naomi King (Lessons in Chemistry), and Diane Lane (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans).

Reis and Mau celebrated their nominations together on Entertainment Weekly‘s Twitter Live on Wednesday, where they opened up about what the moment means to them.

Nava Mau in ‘Baby Reindeer’ and Kali Reis in ‘True Detective: Night Country’.NETFLIX; HBO

True Detective is only Reis’ third job as an actor, and she says the entire experience has been a “whirlwind.”

“It’s been a fast learning experience, but it’s been definitely a blessing of a world of experience and I’m just really, really honored to be a part of the conversation right now,” she says.

Waking up to an Emmy nomination for her role of Detective Evangeline Navarro was a pinch-me moment, says Reis.

“I mean, just to be in the space of seeing so much representation finally across the board and so many to be taken seriously and finally be done in the right way, including the allyship and this space being created for the representation to be done — I’m just, you know, as a spectator, as a fan, I’m really happy to see it,” she explains.

Reis continues, “But also then pinch myself and say, wait a minute, wait a minute. I’m part of this conversation, too, and I’m actually here at a perfect time to be part of it. I’m just really excited to see where this can go as far as representation because it’s about time. These doors have been broken down, not open, but torn down to be held open for the next ones to come and more stories to be told the right way.”

Mau, who plays Donny’s transgender girlfriend Teri on Baby Reindeer, full-heartedly agrees. “I think that unfortunately the opportunities that have been afforded to trans people and Latinas and all underrepresented people have been extremely limited,” she says. “And I think that that has gotten in the way of us being able to grow in our craft and for us to explore all that we can be. And so it has been an honor just from the very beginning when I first read the script to even consider that I could be a part of a story like this.”

Mau continues, “I think that what Baby Reindeer and this moment has shown is that when we’re given the opportunity, we can grow into it and so far beyond it. And I’m hopeful that I by no means will be the only [one] moving forward. And I’m just honored to get to celebrate this year.”

Both series cleaned up at the nominations on Wednesday. Baby Reindeer notched 11 total nominations, while True Detective: Night Country had a whopping 19 nods. Both series are up for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, where they will compete against Fargo, Lessons in Chemistry, and Ripley.