Neil Patrick Harris is not taking his Oscar hosting duties lightly. The actor, who is set to present the 2015 Academy Awards on 22 February, has been busy rehearsing to ensure it all goes smoothly on the night.
"I've always been keen on diction. And inflection. And pitch. And pace," Neil told People. "We reveal a lot about ourselves by the way we communicate verbally. So there's quite a bit of vocal warming up."
The host joked that he has practiced saying Best Actor nominee Benedict Cumberbatch's name "about 2,086 times".
Neil Patrick Harris has revealed how he is preparing for the Oscars
The first-time Oscars host was keen not to give away any surprises he has planned for the big night, but did say that he has asked Frozen's Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez to write a song called Moving Pictures for him to perform with "special guests".
Neil Patrick also revealed which nominees he would love to join him on stage for a song and dance number, telling the magazine: "I'd love to do something with all of the Best Actress nominees," joking that his Gone Girl co-star Rosamund Pike wouldn't "make the cut".
The How I Met Your Mother actor said he has been practising his material at home on his husband David Burtka.
"He is a tough critic. But his notes and ideas are uniformly excellent. Many will be implemented on the 22nd," Neil Patrick said.
Neil Patrick has been practising his material on his husband David Burtka
Neil Patrick also revealed that his preparation has extended to changing his diet, and credited a fresh apple, carrot, ginger and beet juice for getting him ready to take the stage at the Dolby Theatre.
"It's important to be focused on the show, and not on digestion or stomach bloating," he said, "I'll save my In-N-Out burger for after the last award."
The actor confirmed in October that he would be hosting the Oscars in October, and said it was an "honour" to present the show. The actor will be stepping into the shoes of previous presenter Ellen DeGeneres, who took the most retweeted selfie of all time at the awards in 2014.
This year's awards see the likes of Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Eddie Redmayne and Michael Keaton competing to take home the coveted Oscars statuettes.
