Bryan Cranston Wins Guest Actor in a Comedy Emmy Beating The Studio’s Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese

It was a battle between one actor from The Bear and five actors from The Studio in one jam-packed Emmys category this year.

Bryan Cranston was announced as the winner of the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his part in Apple TV+’s The Studio at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday, Sept. 6. He was not in attendance, so presenter Gwendoline Christie accepted the award on his behalf.

Also nominated in the category at the 77th annual awards show included Jon Bernthal for The Bear (FX on Hulu) and Dave Franco, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie and Martin Scorsese for The Studio.

Cranston, 69, plays Continental Studios CEO Griffin Mill on The Studio.

Cranston’s character gives Seth Rogen’s Matt Remick — a film exec who still believes in original films amid a sea of IP-based movies — a chance to run Continental Studios as its new head. Hilarity ensues later on in the season when Griffin gets high on mushroom chocolates.

This is Cranston’s 16th Emmy nomination. He’s previously won four Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Walter White on Breaking Bad and two Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series for being a producer on the critically acclaimed show.

As proud as he is of his own work, Cranston is also a proud dad when it comes to daughter Taylor Dearden, praising her “terrific” work on the Emmy-nominated freshman series The Pitt in a recent exclusive chat with PEOPLE.

Bernthal, 48, plays Michael “Mikey” Berzatto, the older brother of Jeremy Allen White’s Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, on The Bear.

Bernthal is nominated for his work in the season 3 episode of the dramedy titled “Napkins” and directed by star Ayo Edebiri.

In the episode, Mikey has a heart-to-heart conversation with Liza Colón-Zayas’ Tina in a flashback. The scene touched the hearts of viewers and earned rave reviews from critics.

The actor was nominated for his work on the first season, but ultimately lost. His time came last year, however, when he was nominated and won Best Guest Actor for his work in the season 2 episode titled “Fishes.”

Franco, 40, plays a hilariously heightened version of himself on The Studio.

If anyone can outdo Cranston when it comes to wild antics on a psychedelic trip, it’s Franco.

Despite his applauded work on The Studio in his LOL-worthy cameo, Franco exclusively called his nomination “insane” in an exclusive chat with PEOPLE.

“And the truth of it all is I truly did not think this nomination was even a possibility,” he shared at the time. “I remember when they first sent me all of the episodes [of the show after filming], I started watching through it, and I was like, ‘Oh no. This is my favorite show, and I’m about to come in and ruin it.'”

Howard, 71, plays himself on The Studio, and his character isn’t a fan of getting notes on his latest film, Alphabet City.

In the episode for which Howard is nominated, Matt is apprehensive to give feedback to the director that a scene from his new movie needs to be cut. The tension escalates into a moment when Matt finally delivers the news, which Howard doesn’t take well. Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.

Despite having iconic roles on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, this is Howard’s first-ever Emmy nomination for acting.

“I play an a—— version of myself,” Howard told PEOPLE in an exclusive chat about his The Studio nomination. “Apparently, it went over. I have many noms and even some wins on the producing and directing side, but first nom as an actor, which is kind of funny.”

“I’m getting a kick out of it,” he added his 14th Primetime Emmys nod, of which he has won three to-date.

Mackie, 46, plays himself on The Studio, portraying the star and producer of Howard’s fictional film.

Mackie’s fictionalized version of himself knows to stay on Howard’s good side in the episode, aptly titled “The Note.”

This is Mackie’s first-ever Emmy nomination.

Despite roles on Altered Carbon, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Twisted Metal, he’s best known for dramatic film roles and starring as Sam Wilson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Scorsese, 82, plays himself on The Studio, and he gets his directorial heart broken in the pilot episode.

Scorsese is brought in to direct a movie based on the Kool-Aid Man using a script he wrote about the Jonestown massacre. Matt ultimately decides to go with another director and purposefully buys Scorsese’s script — meant to be his final film — with the sole intention of killing the project. This leads to a devastated Scorsese, who is fiercely defended by the actual Charlize Theron.

This is the Oscar-winning director’s first-ever acting Emmy nomination, and his daughter Francesca shared his emotional reaction to being nominated. “Our little actor 🫶,” she wrote of her dad.

Scorsese has already won three Emmys: one for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for directing the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire in 2011, and two for directing and producing the documentary film George Harrison: Living in the Material World about the Beatles musician in 2012.

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The 2025 Creative Arts Emmys are being presented in Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 6 and Sunday, Sept. 7. The full show will be broadcast on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. ET on FXX.