How Do You Prepare For A Big Event?

Byline: Jeffrey Slonim PHOTOGRAPHED BY PATRICK McMULLAN

It's easy to assume that celebrities are ready for the attention they get on a big night, but the gauntlet of photographers and TV crews can unsettle even the most practiced star. "I feel like I'm going to have an epileptic seizure when all the flashes go off," said Mad Men' s Jon Hamm. We asked stars at a Museum of Natural History gala, the Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball, and the National Board of Review Awards how they steel themselves to make an entrance.

Many rely on liquid courage. "Tonight I took a nap and had a vodka," said Anne Hathaway. "I had some red wine and a Red Bull," said Gabrielle Union. "The Red Bull keeps me alert, and the wine makes me not freak out." Others turn to a higher power. Ne-Yo said, "I'll say a quick little prayer." Evan Rachel Wood uses a trick familiar to high-school girls everywhere: "I listen to Bowie while curling my hair for two hours." And we saw Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire smacking his cheeks on the way to a podium. "I'm so nervous. I need to slap myself every so often," he explained later.

CAPTION(S):

BRITTANY SNOW I put on lip gloss, and I pinch my cheeks. And before we ...