Being recognized for acting "never even crossed my mind because it was so beyond the realm of feasibility," Howard tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview after learning of his Emmy nomination

Ron Howard earned his first-ever acting Emmy nomination Tuesday when he was recognized for his guest-starring role on “The Studio.”

The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who played a heightened version of himself in the comedy, called the nomination “an absolute cherry on top,” and added, “the whole experience in doing The Studio was such a blast. Evan [ Goldberg] and Seth [ Rogen] have that set completely wired for creativity and laughs, and I'm a huge fan of the show.”