Lupita Nyong'o suffered 'whiplash' following Oscars win

Actress Lupita Nyong'o suffered from a case of "whiplash" after she shot to fame with her Oscar-winning role in 12 Years A Slave and briefly forgot who she was.

The Mexican-Kenyan beauty became an overnight hit in Hollywood after portraying a slave in the 2013 historical drama, and she collected a number of top trophies, including the coveted Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 2014.

But Lupita, who made her feature film debut in 12 Years a Slave, admits she had a difficult time coming down from the high of her triumphant run during that year's awards season.

"After 12 Years a Slave and the quote-unquote meteoric rise, I felt like there was a moment where I was suffering from whiplash," she explains to Essence magazine. "I had talked so much about who I was that I'd forgotten who I was."

During awards season, she was also lauded for her outstanding red carpet style, but no matter how many times she's posed for the cameras, she admits she has never fully felt comfortable in the spotlight.

"It's not a natural environment for a human being to inhabit," she says. "You're one person, and hundreds of flashes are going off in your face and people are yelling your name... and you're standing there to be judged, so you're kind of complicit in it.

"I don't think anyone ever gets used to it. It becomes familiar and you stop shaking as much and your body gets used to that level of shock. But it's like being onstage: You never stop getting butterflies. It's one of the things that reminds you that you care."