Everything you need to know about Yalitza Aparicio from 'Roma,' the first indigenous woman to be nominated for a best-actress Oscar

• Yalitza Aparicio is nominated for best actress for her role in "Roma."
• "Roma" got 10 nominations.
• Aparicio is a first-time actress.
• She is the first indigenous woman to be nominated for best actress.

Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" received 10 Academy Award nominations this year, making it the most Oscar-recognized foreign language film in history, as well as one of the most-nominated movies of the year (it tied with "The Favourite"). "Roma" also introduced the world to Yalitza Aparicio, an indigenous Mexican actress who has now made history through her role in the film.

In "Roma," Aparicio plays Cleo, a nanny and housekeeper for an upper-middle-class family in Mexico City. The role, which was her very first acting role, earned her a best actress nomination at this year's Oscars. Here is her interesting story of going from an unknown school teacher to a Hollywood star:

"Roma" was the first acting job Aparicio had ever taken on.

Before Cuarón selected Aparicio to play Cleo, she was intending on becoming a preschool teacher. According to the New York Times, Aparicio, who is now 25 years old, had just finished her teaching degree and was leaving in a small Mexican city. She told Variety that she had never thought about acting before "Roma," saying, "I never imagined being a part of a project like this."

Aparicio only tried out for the role because her sister pushed her to.

According to The Guardian, Aparicio's sister was the one who wanted to audition for the film — but because she was pregnant and wasn't in the state to do so, she pushed Aparicio to do it in her place. She told W, "I was curious, and my sister actually forced me to audition, and then it became an adventure."

She didn't even know who Cuarón was.

Cuarón may be a famous director, but Aparicio had no idea who he even was, let alone who she was auditioning for. In an interview with W, she explained that she had never seen any of his films, saying, "I was even a little bit embarrassed when I first met him, to tell him that no, in fact, I didn't know who he was or what movies he had made."

As it turns out, though, Cuarón liked this about her and asked her not to watch any of his films so she wouldn't "poison her mind" with images or ideas.