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11 red carpet looks at the Oscars worth remembering — and the quotes that explain them

Photos of people in gowns and tuxes on the red carpet at the Oscars in 2022.
Zoë Kravitz, left, Wesley Snipes, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Tracee Ellis Ross and Billie Eilish.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Will Smith wanted to be Eddie Murphy. Denzel Washington would like you to know that he’s not from Hollywood. Tracee Ellis Ross wants you to love yourself. For this year’s Oscars red carpet, we paired the looks of your favorite nominees and attendees with their most riveting quotes fit to print. Whether funny, to the point or a way to show love for the city of L.A., the quotes will give you a little more about their world. There are insights to be gathered from every person you see on the red carpet.

Timothée Chalamet

A man shows off his Oscars look on the red carpet.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“Sorry, sorry, sorry, this is just for you…” (GQ)

Tracee Ellis Ross

A woman shows off her red gown on the red carpet at the Oscars 2022.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“I hope that people feel like themselves when they’re around me. And feel safe to be themselves, when they’re around me. And maybe that makes people think it’s me that they love, but it’s really themselves that they love.” (Harper’s Bazaar)

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes attends the 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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“I’m a good thinker. I’m an excellent student. I’m a skilled dancer. I can sing. I can also write very well — I’m an author. I can do graffiti. I can cook very well. People are less familiar with my forays into technology and telecommunications.” (The Guardian)

Ariana DeBose

A woman arrives at the 94th Academy Awards.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“[I’m] at a moment in my career where people listen when I have something to say. And that doesn’t come for everyone, and I’m very aware of that. So I’m focused on how I can be a conducive part of whatever conversation — there are many conversations that need to happen in our industry and in the world. I’m a service-based person too, and there are many things to work on, so just trying to find ways to be of service.” (People)

Nicole Kidman

A woman shows off her gown at the 94th Academy Awards.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“I really think there’s a journey to be had. I suppose I kind of have this very spontaneous, nonstrategic [side], which is why I’ve had such a winding career. Even at my height, I wasn’t looking to maintain that. I was always looking for what I feel now — where do I want to go?”
(Vogue)

Regina Hall

A woman arrives at the 94th Annual Academy Awards.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“My idea of success has changed. Now I think about it more in terms of present-moment happiness than “if this happens then that might happen.”
(New York Times Magazine)

Zendaya

A woman shows off her two-piece outfit at the 94th Academy Awards.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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“I hope to continue to make our ancestors proud.” (Interview)

Zoë Kravitz

A woman shows off her gown at the Academy Awards.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s been an interesting journey of remembering that there’s no finish line that I have to get to by a certain time. Playful, mischievous behavior is something I always hope to have, even when I’m 70 years old. The point of being alive is to experience life and play with it. There’s still so much fun to be had.” (Elle)

Will Smith

A  man in a suit on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“I wanted to be Eddie Murphy in ‘Star Wars.’” (GQ)

Billie Eilish

A woman in black hair shows off her black gown at the Oscars.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“Since I was a kid, my dad and I have always talked about a certain type of person who’s so insecure, or hyperaware and self-conscious, that they never move in a weird way, or make a weird face, because they always want to look good. I’ve noticed that, and it makes me so sad. If you’re always standing a certain way, walking in a certain way, and always have your hair just so… It’s such a loss to always try to always look good. It’s such a loss of joy and freedom in your body.” (The Guardian)

Denzel Washington

A woman in an orange gown and a man in a black suit arrive at the Oscars.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“I live in Los Angeles. I don’t live in Hollywood. I don’t know what Hollywood thinks.” (NYT)

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