Wilde--who actually has won a few eating contests in her day--knows that feeling well. "Once, in Australia, I ate 33 pancakes in 20 minutes, and I only did it because they said a girl could never enter the competition," she says proudly. "I won against these giant men, and they were convinced I was cheating. Guys have some sort of sick fascination with girls who can eat." Conversely, Wilde says, women seem to get off on women who don't eat. A year ago, during a visit to Thailand with her husband, she caught a nasty case of Dengue fever and lost about 15 pounds. "I looked really thin, and all the men in my life were worried about me," she says. "But all the women in my life were proud of me. They started calling it 'the Dengue diet.'"

To work off the occasional pound or three of pancakes, Wilde exercises daily. She spins at a local studio (a fact she's embarrassed to admit, since she's just blocks from the beach). "I make fun of it, but it's amazing, because you have to push yourself through this resistance, which is so therapeutic," she says. "And they say you can burn nearly 800 calories in, like, 45 minutes if you push it to the highest level." She also does yoga, dabbles in karate, and hikes regularly with her dogs: a bulldog named Lola that she lovingly refers to as "a side of ham" and a fluffy mutt that goes by Paco. In 2006 Paco won a contest to be the "spokesdog" for Old Navy. He traveled, sat for photo shoots, and got paid (his salary went to a canine charity). "He still acts like a doggie model sometimes. If I put a T-shirt on him, he won't move. He thinks he's back at the job; he'll strike a pose and just sit there."

As for herself, she'll pass on posing for hours on end. "It would be so depressing to be a model and not get to say a word," she says. "There's no personality involved." Even perfecting a paparazzi-worthy smile for the red carpet has been a challenge. "I got a tip, which sounds ridiculous but actually works," she says. She suddenly flinches, like she's in extreme pain, and says "Ouf!" Is it appendicitis, doc? Another bout of Dengue fever? Nope. "You have to smile like someone just punched you in the stomach. Bam! Smile! Bam! Smile!""

Pop Quiz

Best advice from Mom
"Never believe anyone who tells you that you can't do what you want to do."

Strangest thing in her fridge
"Kombucha. People think it looks like vomit, but I think it's fermented mushrooms, and it's good for you."

One thing that people would be surprised to hear about her
"I'm shy. In fact, I was at a party last night and I was just sitting there praying that no one would come over and talk to me."

Most embarrassing thing she listens to
"In my car, I have The Tempest on tape and it always comes on suddenly and really loud."

Best beauty tip ever
"Wear mascara. If I have to draw attention away from some hormone-induced acne on my chin, I put on a lot of mascara."

Best style tip
"Always wear a dress that you can pee in. I wore an incredible dress to the Emmys, but I had never tried to pull it up. I had to take it off to go to the bathroom. I nearly ripped it off my body because I had to go so bad."

Bizarre talent
"I was on my high school step team. I still love it. I'll do it sometimes and people are like, 'What the hell is that?'" (More commonly known as steppin', it's the style of dance where people use their bodies as percussion. -ed.)

Sexiest romantic gesture
"Take your date somewhere fabulous, like the Chateau Marmont, and after dinner, pretend you want to break into a room. But really, you already rented the room and you secretly use your room key. A little manipulation …"

Four famous people she'd invite to a dinner party
"My grandfather, Claud Cockburn, because he was an amazing journalist and I never met him. Oscar Wilde--he would have great anecdotes. I would love to have Rosalind Russell in there too. Oh, and Al Green, because he's my favorite artist and he can sing to us after we're done talking."

The most erotic part of a man's body
"That muscle around the pelvis that you see when their pants or shorts slide down. It's that little rip that only men have, and it's so sexy."

What guys might be shocked to learn she finds attractive
"Scruffiness. All my friends are madly in love with James Franco. The first time I met him, I was like, 'Hot damn!' because he was all greasy."

Here--read this...
Coming from a family of writers, Wilde has a real love of words. Take a look at her five favorite page-turners

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
by Kurt Vonnegut
"The humor! There's a quote I love about having to be kind in this wet, round world. It's important for young people to read Vonnegut."

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