Ron Howard Says He Got a ‘Nice Kiss’ from Wife Cheryl to Celebrate His First Acting Emmy Nod for The Studio (Exclusive)

What started out as a pretty “regular” work day took an unexpected turn for Ron Howard.

On Tuesday, July 15, the 71-year-old earned his first-ever acting nomination for the 2025 Emmy Awards with his guest starring role on The Studio, which he tells PEOPLE was a “fun surprise.”

“It never even crossed my mind because it was so beyond the realm of feasibility,” he says of getting nominated. “So this whole thing is an absolute gift — from out of nowhere. It’s really gratifying, really fun.”

Still, he hasn’t done much out of the ordinary to mark the accomplishment, as he spent the day “at my office in Connecticut. I’m developing several different projects [and] I’m finishing up a couple documentaries.”

He says “it’s been a normal day with this infusion of tremendous happiness.”

Ron’s only moment of celebration came at home with his wife of 50 years, Cheryl.

When asked if he plans to celebrate the nomination in any particular way, Ron says, “I don’t think so, no. I think all the celebration is just kind of internal.”

He does, though, have one moment to call attention to that made him feel appreciated.

“Got a nice kiss and hug from Cheryl,” he says, referring to his wife, with whom he just marked his 50th wedding anniversary. “What more could you ask for?”

Ron was one of six guest star appearances that earned noms from the show, and he praises the other actors who were recognized, too.

The legendary director was aware that nominations were being announced on Tuesday, but he says he “also knew that there were so many great guest shots on the show that I didn’t have my hopes real high [about a nomination] — and nor was that what the joy of the whole experience was about to me.”

Praising Anthony Mackie, who he starred alongside in episode 3 and who also earned a nod, as “brilliant” and calling out Bryan Cranston, who was also nominated, Ron applauds the show’s “great writing” as the reason behind the Emmys love.

“Anthony was so funny and the duplicity of his character and his performance was perfect. Spot on. You forget how funny he is. And that’s just a reminder,” he says.

“Same with Bryan Cranston. Oh my God — the places he goes in those last couple episodes just crack me up.”

Ron’s day following his Emmy nod has paralleled his experience on The Studio: “It’s all good vibes,” he says.

Recalling his experience on set, the Happy Days star says the “energy” that co-creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg bring to the show is “infectious, and people really take chances.”

“It reminded me a little bit of Arrested Development in that the environment allowed for freedom and improvisation,” he continues. “But the scripts were so good that people might bend a word or try a joke, but for the most part, they’re going with the script, because the script is remarkable.”

“It was a blast, it was an honor, it was great that they wrote an episode around Beautiful Mind and me, and I thought that they had a hilarious take and the premise was smart and funny — as is the series,” Ron adds of his cameo. “So, I had a blast.”

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The 77th Emmy Awards will air live on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS. See the full list of nominees on the official Emmy’s website.