Gabrielle Union 'Absolutely' Loves Walking the Met Gala Red Carpet, Calls Inside 'Nerve Wracking' (Exclusive)

The actor and fashion tastemaker tells PEOPLE that a lot celebs on the Met Gala red carpet 'want to rush through it' — but she likes to soak up every second of it

Gabrielle Union has long been considered one to watch on the Met Gala red carpet — but nerves still get the best of her when she makes it inside the event.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE while promoting her new partnership with Knix, the actor, activist and entrepreneur, 51, opened up about her love for the Met Gala and working with designers to try out something unique every year.

"I love that part," she said, speaking about walking the red carpet. "I think it's nerve wracking for a lot of people, but when you really f--- with a designer and you really love leaning into their creativity and their interpretation of the theme and you are a conduit of somebody else's artistic freedom and expression that also matches your own, it's a f---ing awesome."

Union said she loves to take her time on the carpet to soak up all the creative energy she can.

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"A lot of people want to rush through it, not me," the actress told PEOPLE. "They literally are like, 'all right, Gab, move it up the stairs.' Because I love it. I love it. I absolutely love it."

Despite her love for the walking the red carpet, Union said that once she gets inside, being met with a room full of stars across all industries can be intimidating. "It can be a little nerve wracking if you don't know everyone at your table or something like that," she said.

"But I've also made more friends in those situations. That gave me so much anxiety," the actress added. "'I'm not going to know anyone' — Of course you know people.

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Once the Bring It On alum makes it through the initial nerves of being surrounded by musicians, designers, movie stars and more, the dinner portion of the Gala gets even more exciting, she told PEOPLE.

"I sat at a table with Jack Harlow before he was Jack Harlow, and Tommy Hilfiger and all these different people and Kris Jenner," she recalled. "I left there with friends and I left there feeling like, 'Wow, this table somehow sees me and understood me more than some tables that are paid to know me and understand me.'"

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"I lean into the experience," she continued during her conversation with PEOPLE. "But it can be nerve wracking when we're in industries that cater to us and they massage our fears and they don't have us lean into them in environments like that — where we can grow and expand in our discomfort and not being centered in every single thing. You can appreciate other people and get to know other people that might be feeling the same way that you are."

Union has always been candid about her love for fashion, and speaking recently with PEOPLE, she spoke about the one specific reason she archives so many of her haute couture looks for later in life.

"So I have a storage that's just full of things that I'm like, oh, I want to be able to tell this story or how I felt wearing this," the mom and stepmom of 4 said. "So it started with me putting in this beautiful display case my first Met ball outfit."

Related: Gabrielle Union Admits She's 'Stressed Out' as She Gets Ready to Send Stepdaughter Zaya Off to College

Union said she stashes away some of her clothing pieces for her 5-year-old daughter Kaavia James, whom she shares with husband Dwyane Wade, 42, so that she can try out the looks for herself when she's old enough.

"I was also in the museum and then I realized maybe I don't have to display it in my home, but I can put it in a temperature-controlled space that preserves the material and the memories. So even if [Kaavia] never wants to wear any of it, she will have this little bit of her mom and the stories that go with it."

Union is set to hit the red carpet at the Met Gala on May 6 this year.

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Read the original article on People.