Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt trade 'Barbenheimer' barbs in playful Oscars roast

Consider it the series finale of the "Barbenheimer" saga.

"Barbie" star Ryan Gosling and "Oppenheimer" star Emily Blunt were paired for a segment at Sunday's Academy Awards, where they playfully traded barbs about the alleged rivalry between their films. The two movies, both of which are nominated for best picture, famously opened in theaters on the same day in July 2023.

The actors jokingly pretended they felt awkward standing next to each other due to the supposedly bitter face-off, with Blunt suggesting Gosling had given her a "frosty" hello.

"Not at all," Gosling said. "I'm just happy that we can finally put this Barbenheimer rivalry behind us."

But Blunt quipped that the way awards season turned out, it "wasn't that much of a rivalry," referring to the fact that "Oppenheimer" is expected to trounce "Barbie" in terms of number of Oscars won. "So just let it go," she joked.

"It's true," Gosling responded. "You guys are doing very well. Congratulations. But, you know, I think I kind of figured out why they call it Barbenheimer and they didn't call it Oppenbarbie. I think you guys are at the tail end of that because you were riding 'Barbie's coattails all summer."

"Thanks for Kensplaining that to me, Mr. 'I need to paint my abs on to get nominated,'" Blunt shot back. "You don't see Robert Downey (Jr.) doing that!"

"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" were released by rival studios, Warner Bros. and Universal, on the same day, leading fans to see both as a double feature due to the comedic contrast between them. In December, Robbie, a producer on "Barbie," revealed she refused to move her film's opening day away from "Oppenheimer" after a producer on the Christopher Nolan film suggested she do so. In the end, both movies were box office hits, and the "Barbenheimer" pairing seemingly benefited them both.

Gosling and Blunt are both nominated for their supporting performances, though neither won their respective award, with Gosling losing to Robert Downey Jr. from "Oppenheimer" and supporting actress going to Da'Vine Joy Randolph for "The Holdovers." They were paired for a segment paying tribute to stunt performers, whom they praised as "unsung heroes who risk life and limb for cinema."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt trade 'Barbenheimer' barbs at 2024 Oscars