Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong'o says the red carpet is like a "war zone" and adds that `nothing can prepare you for the awards season`.

The `12 Years A Slave` star insists people tried to warn her about the pressures of the awards season, but she didn't truly understand what they meant until she'd already gone through the "intense experience", reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"Everyone said, 'Brace yourself, Lupita! Keep a granola bar in that clutch of yours," she told US Vogue magazine.

"I didn't really understand what they meant, and it was only once it was past that I realised that my body had been holding on by a thread to get through this very intense experience. Nothing can prepare you for awards season.

"The red carpet feels like a war zone, except you cannot fly or fight; you just have to stand there and take it," she added.

The 31-year-old also admits she was shocked by how quickly she became famous following her role in the historical drama film last year, which led to her winning an Oscar award.

She said: "It just feels like the entertainment industry exploded into my life. People who seemed so distant all of a sudden were right in front of me and recognised me - before I recognised them.

"For a split second I looked behind me to see who they were flashing at - and it was me! That was, I think, the beginning of the end of my anonymity."