The film, about two men returning home to rural Mississippi from World War II and having to deal with racism and life after battle, boasts an all-star cast, including Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, and Garrett Hedlund.
Mary plays Florence Jackson in the Netflix feature and had to quickly adjust to the lack of glamour on set.
"I didn't realise how vain I was until I started working on Mudbound," she told W magazine. "I had just done a tour and a show, so I was all, you know, I had wigs and weaves and all sorts of things going on, and (director) Dee Rees was like, 'No! We want to see you. You can't have a perm, you're going to have minimal, minimal make-up'. And I was like, 'What about lashes?' And she said no, and I was like, 'Really? Florence doesn't have lashes?' That part was a lot! A lot!"
However, once the 46-year-old singer really got into the headspace of Florence, she enjoyed the process of keeping it natural in the beauty department. So much so, that Mary admits the character gave her the confidence to stop depending on hair extensions and cosmetics.
"I cut my hair really short. Florence really liberated me," she shared. "Just committing to and trusting that character kind of helped to save my life. I could also relate to her because she reminded me of my aunts and my grandmother who lived in the South. My mom used to send us to Savannah every summer. My grandmother had her own garden, chickens, cows; so I've seen chickens slaughtered, I've been on a farm."
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