Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have put the Barbenheimner rivalry to rest.
Gosling, 43, and Blunt, 41, wrapped their arms around each other at the Fall Guy premiere in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, March 12. Gosling, who plays Colt Seavers in the movie, rocked a red jacket featuring the movie’s name on it. He paired the layer with a white T-shirt, denim jacket and blue jeans. Blunt, who stars as Jody, looked chic in a black-and-white cropped sweater and low-waisted pants. During the premiere, the pair also hugged on stage.
Gosling and Blunt previously addressed the Barbenheimer phenomenon while celebrating stunt performers at the 2024 Oscars on Sunday, March 10.
“I’m just happy we can finally put this Barbenheimer rivalry behind us,” Gosling said during the introduction.
“That’s right. Here’s Ken and Kitty just leaving all that fodder in the dust,” Blunt replied, referencing their respective characters in Barbie and Oppenheimer. “And the way this award season turned out, it wasn’t that much of a rivalry,” she joked. “So just let it go!”
“It’s true. You guys are doing very well,” Gosling admitted. “But you know, I think I kind of figured out why they called it Barbenheimer and why they didn’t call it Oppenbarbie … because you were riding Barbie’s coattails all summer.” (Barbie hit over $1 billion in the box office after its 2023 premiere, while Oppenheimer grossed over $900 million.)
“Thanks for Ken-splaining that to me, Mr. I-need-to-paint-my-abs-on-to-get-nominated,” Blunt quipped. “You don’t see Robert Downey doing that!” (Downey, 58, portrayed Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer and ultimately won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.)
Gosling then grabbed the mic back from Blunt and exclaimed, “This is insane Emily! We gotta stop.” The two ended their skit and returned to honoring stunt doubles.
Barbie and Oppenheimer went head-to-head for a number of Academy Awards, including Best Picture, which Oppenheimer won, as well as Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. (Poor Things took home the trophy for both Best Production and Costume Design.)
Gosling was recognized for his supporting performance, but neither leading lady Margot Robbie nor director Greta Gerwig were nominated for Barbie. Blunt, meanwhile, was up for Best Supporting Actress, which Da’Vine Joy Randolph won for her role in The Holdovers.
Fans came up with the Barbenheimer nickname because the two movies hit theaters on the same day in July 2023.
Two weeks into the movies’ premiere, AMC Theaters reported that over 20,000 people purchased tickets to see both movies on the same day. One week later, the number doubled to 40,000.
