Neil Patrick Harris gets pre-Oscars jitters

Neil Patrick Harris is suffering from pre-Oscars nerves.

The American star will preside over the 87th Academy Awards, which take place in Hollywood on February 22.

With less than a month to go, pre-show jitters are setting in for the 41-year-old.

"There's a nervous tension starting to develop," he confessed to Total Film magazine. "You need to be ready to comment or deal with the unexpected, and that's part of the expectations that come with the Oscars - and the fact that it's a live event and a billion people are watching you!"

Neil is no stranger to chairing awards shows; he's taken the helm at the Emmy Awards twice and has hosted the Tony Awards four times.

However, this time it's even bigger, with the enormity of the night not lost on Neil.

"The preparations are a lot more elaborate, but it's an immense responsibility. I've never done an awards show of this scale before. The big challenge will be to come up with great song and dance numbers and make it as entertaining and exciting as possible," he explained.

Neil follows in the famous footsteps of the likes of Ellen DeGeneres, Seth MacFarlane and Hugh Jackman.

Not everyone wows with their hosting skills, but Neil's looking towards two previous stars for inspiration.

"I want to make sure it's a classy event. It's the biggest sandbox in the world! I loved Johnny Carson and Billy Crystal honouring the gravity of it without getting heavy and boring. I have no idea how to balance that, but that's going to be the task ahead," he laughed.