Barbenheimer battle at the Globes: Robert Downey, Jr. vs. Ryan Gosling

Jacob Sarkisian
·4 min read
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Barbenheimer kicked off when both Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” were released in theatres on the same day last year on July 21. However, the fun-spirited, lighthearted rivalry between the Warner Bros. comedy and the Universal biopic has continued into this awards season. Both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have often been the most nominated films at various awards groups and two performers have found themselves head to head in pretty much every precursor so far: supporting players Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan Gosling.

Downey Jr. plays scheming politician Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer” and produces a thoughtful, fierce performance as the film’s primary antagonist. Gosling, meanwhile, has the time of his life in the year’s most colorful performance — playing Ken, the doll obsessed with Barbie, in “Barbie.” You couldn’t get two more contrasting performances — both are genius in their own measure. They are nominated alongside one another at the Golden Globes this weekend, where they will compete against “Poor Things” duo Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe as well as Charles Melton (“May December”) and Robert De Niro (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). Our Golden Globes odds chart for this category, however, lists Downey Jr. in top spot and Gosling just behind him, so it’s another Barbenheimer battle.

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Intriguingly, there is little to split between these two performers in terms of Globes history as they are both previous winners. Downey Jr. won his first Golden Globe in 2001 for Best TV Supporting Actor for “Ally McBeal.” He then won a second Globe in 2010 for Best Comedy/Musical Actor for “Sherlock Holmes.” He was also nominated for Best Drama Actor in 1993 for “Chaplin” and Best Supporting Actor in 2009 for “Tropic Thunder.” Plus, he was the co-recipient of a special award in 1994 for his role in the ensemble cast of Robert Altman‘s “Short Cuts.”

Gosling, meanwhile, won his Golden Globe in 2017 — for Best Comedy/Musical Actor for “La La Land.” He has also been nominated in that category twice before — in 2008 for “Lars and the Real Girl” and in 2012 for “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” Gosling also snagged two Best Drama Actor bids, too, for his roles in “Blue Valentine” in 2011 and “The Ides of March” in 2012.

So, both actors are Golden Globe winners who have been nominated for dramatic roles, comedic roles, and supporting roles. These are two versatile performers and, since they are also major A-list movie stars with huge star power, they also both fit the bill of a typical Golden Globe winner. And both of their films are expected to win the two Best Picture categories, too. So where to split them? Well, let’s take a look at the type of role and performance that wins in this category, using the last 10 years as an example.

As you can see, seven of the last 10 winners have won this category by playing fictional characters. Only three won for portraying real people — Jared Leto, Mahershala Ali, and Daniel Kaluuya. That shows a clear preference Globe voters have for fictional characters. That would, you think, give Gosling the edge in this race. However, seven of the last 10 winners have won for starring in dramas, like Downey Jr. in “Oppenheimer.” Only three have won for comedies — Ke Huy Quan, Brad Pitt, and Ali. That gives Downey Jr. an edge.

Let’s also look at the intersections. Gosling plays a fictional character in a comedy — only two people have won for that combination in the last 10 years. They were Quan and Pitt. Downey Jr, meanwhile, plays a real person in a drama. Again, only two performers have won for that combination in the last 10 years — Kaluuya and Leto. There is nothing to split Downey Jr. and Gosling.

The most common combination — occurring five out of 10 times — is people winning by playing fictional characters in dramas. No one in this year’s Best Supporting Actor lineup fits into that specific combination, however, so Downey Jr. and Gosling don’t need to be worried about a third stallion entering this two-horse race. Instead, they are set to go head to head in a race that is anyone’s guess. Either one of them could win this tight category. Let’s see how things pan out.

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