Oscars Presenters Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling Exchange Playful Barbenheimer Banter, Accusing Each Other of Abs-Painting

Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling, both starring in the upcoming film ‘The Fall Guy,’ added some Barbenheimer flair to the 2024 Oscars!

Taking the stage at Sunday’s 96th Academy Awards, Blunt, aged 41, and Gosling, aged 42, playfully engaged in some light-hearted banter while presenting a tribute montage to stunt performers. The duo couldn’t resist poking fun at their supporting roles in two of 2023’s biggest films, Barbie and Oppenheimer.

“Well, a bit of a chilly greeting,” Blunt remarked to Gosling as they stood together onstage. “Not at all – I’m just glad we can finally put this Barbenheimer rivalry behind us,” Gosling quipped back.

“That’s right, here we are, Ken and Kitty, leaving all that rivalry behind,” Blunt chimed in. “And let’s face it, with the way this awards season has gone, it wasn’t much of a rivalry anyway, so, let’s just move on.”

“Indeed, you guys are doing great, congratulations. But I think I’ve figured out why they didn’t name it Oppenbarbie instead of Barbenheimer,” Gosling joked. “I reckon you two are at the tail end of it because you spent the summer riding Barbie’s coattails.”

“Thanks for Ken-splaining that to me, Mr. I-need-to-paint-my-abs-on-to-get-nominated. You don’t see Robert Downey Jr. resorting to that,” Blunt retorted, earning laughter from the audience. “Robert Downey did not paint his abs on,” she clarified, prompting Gosling to playfully grab the mic and exclaim, “You’re joking!”

“This is madness, Emily, we need to put an end to this. We’ve got to bury the hatchet,” Gosling added before the pair shifted their focus to honoring stunt performers across the industry.

Blunt and Gosling’s appearance seemed to foreshadow their upcoming movie, ‘The Fall Guy,’ where Gosling portrays a stunt performer named Colt Seavers and Blunt as a director of a science fiction blockbuster. The film, based on the 1980s television series of the same name, is set to release on May 3.

“We’re here to celebrate the stunt community; they’ve been an integral part of our industry since the dawn of cinema,” Gosling stated onstage, with Blunt acknowledging stunt performers as “the unsung heroes” of the industry.

The 96th annual Academy Awards are being broadcasted live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.