Lifestyle Style Freida Pinto Takes PEOPLE Inside Her Glam Night at the Room to Read Gala (Exclusive) Actress, activist and Freebird Films founder Freida Pinto was honored for her work in education equality at this year's Room to Read Gala in New York City. See behind the scenes of her stage-ready glam and the lead-up to her big moment and read all about it — in her words! By Michelle Lee Michelle Lee Editorial Assistant, Style & Beauty, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 28, 2023 04:02PM EDT Close Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty 01 of 12 Meet the Beauty Pros Artemis Poray "The wonderful Antonio Velotta on hair and the equally as wonderful Crystal Choo on makeup. The fantastic natural light setup at The Peninsula New York was exactly what we needed." 02 of 12 Makeup Galore Artemis Poray The makeup pro's kit was filled with the essentials – and more! "Crystal's setup!" 03 of 12 Good-Looking Lineup Artemis Poray Pinto gives a peek at the all-star products, including some from Tatcha, reserved for her look of the night. 04 of 12 Glam Chair Catch-Up Artemis Poray "We had a great time chatting about life, the Room to Read Gala and my involvement as an executive producer on the upcoming animated and live-action film series She Creates Change." 05 of 12 Soaking In the Sights Artemis Poray "I love the views from The Peninsula New York. They are so classically New York!" 06 of 12 Dressed to Impress Artemis Poray "The night's look was a beautiful embroidered Erdem dress and Stuart Weitzman shoes." 07 of 12 A Touch of Gold Artemis Poray "The outfit couldn't be complete without something sparkly from MARLI New York." 08 of 12 One Last Look Artemis Poray "Final checks!" 09 of 12 En Route Artemis Poray Pinto passed through the Big Apple sights on her way to the function. "Our commute." 10 of 12 Practice Makes Perfect Courtesy Freida Pinto "Keeping an eye on the time and doing a final read-through of my award acceptance speech." 11 of 12 Close-Up Ready Artemis Poray "A quick stop on the carpet." 12 of 12 Quick Tip: Stay Cozy Artemis Poray "And off to the Changemakers Gala we go! My gala advice is to always bring something warm because these ballrooms are freezing." If you want to recreate Pinto's look, pick up the Sézane Mederick Coat ($485). Room to Read is an education nonprofit to benefit children in low-income communities around the world. This year's New York Gala celebrated changemakers Pinto and Peter T. Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg. Learn more about the organization here.