Oscars 2022: Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez & More Share Their Acting Inspirations

The 94th Academy Awards was definitely one for the books.

The Oscars came back swinging (pun intended) after last year’s scaled-down ceremony amid the COVID-19 pandemic … and was full of firsts.

Will Packer and Shayla Cowan became the first African American producing team for Hollywood’s biggest night. Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes took the stage as the first female hosting trio – coming off three years of ceremonies that had no host.

Ariana DeBose became the first openly queer Afro-Latina to win an acting Oscar for her role as Anita in “West Side Story,” while Troy Kostur became the first hearing impaired actor to win Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Coda.”

Unfortunately, it was Will Smith slapping Chris Rock for his bald joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, that stole the show. Before the slap heard around the globe, HipHollywood hit the red carpet at the Dolby Theater to chat with the stars about the films that inspired them to become actors.