'Shōgun' is nominated for 25 Emmys. Actress Moeka Hoshi wasn't initially sure it would be a streaming success.

For Shōgun star Moeka Hoshi, the show’s massive success came as a pleasant surprise. The 28-year-old Japanese actress earned critical acclaim for her performance on FX’s adaptation of the 1975 James Clavell novel, which debuted on Feb. 27.

Shōgun leads the nominations for the 76th Emmy Awards, earning a historic 25 nods on July 17 in categories including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series.

The show garnered nine million views worldwide in its first six days of streaming, making it FX’s most successful premiere on Hulu. It’s also the network’s most-watched show ever.

Hoshi didn’t know how viewers would react to the show. She wondered how a series that’s mostly spoken in Japanese, features a mostly Japanese cast and focuses on Japan’s feudal society would resonate with a Western audience. While this level of authenticity and attention to detail was exactly what creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo wanted, Hoshi was skeptical of its global appeal.

“We were wondering how Shōgun would be received overall, [but] I definitely trusted Hiro and his leadership,” she told Yahoo Entertainment of the show’s star and producer, Emmy-nominated Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Lord Toranaga. “Shōgun getting this much success is definitely to be celebrated. But as far as [my character] Fuji? The Fuji buzz was definitely unexpected.”

Hoshi portrays Usami Fuji, a young woman whose life is rife with misfortune. After she tragically loses both her husband and baby, Fuji wants nothing more than to take her own life. Instead, she is ordered by Toranaga to become English prisoner John Blackthorne’s (Cosmo Jarvis) consort. Begrudgingly, she stays alive.

Onscreen, Hoshi found comfort in her co-star Anna Sawai. Sawai plays Toda Mariko, a devout Christian who is fiercely loyal to her lord, Toranaga. Stuck in a loveless marriage and guilt-ridden for being the only surviving member of her family, Mariko also wishes to end her life — but her allegiance to Toranaga prevents her from doing so. Fuji and Mariko lean on one another to process their grief and eventually find new meaning in their lives. They become family.

“I feel like Fuji and Mariko are like sisters,” Hoshi said. “[They] were always very aware of each other. … I think that awareness of each other [and] being sisterlike was also reflected in our personal relationship.”

As the season progresses, viewers see a shift in Fuji’s perspective.

“Out of all the other women in Shōgun, I think Fuji [undergoes the most] change,” she said. “At the beginning, we [learn of] her tragedy. And then after that, she is obligated to fulfill her duty. But through perseverance, she is able to overcome those challenges and find a will to live. I’m hoping that people will see her courage, that type of female courage in that context.”’

While Shōgun was planned as a 10-episode season, Disney confirmed in May that a second and third season were in the works after the series’s record-breaking streaming numbers.

Now, with at least two more seasons in development, Hoshi hopes to get the chance to continue telling Fuji’s story.

“Of course, I would love to be in it a little, but Shōgun is bigger than me,” Hoshi said. “I can only hope for great success for Season 2 and 3 for the cast and crew.”

Even with the show’s critical and commercial dominance, Hoshi said she’s yet to feel the effects of her newfound fame — at least in her native Japan.

“In Japan, I can’t really feel it,” she said. “I’m thinking as we do more press and [as] a little bit more time passes, that there will be more buzz worldwide. But right now, there hasn’t been any direct effect on my career yet.”