Blige isn’t the first actor to have performed the theme song of the film they appear in. Jennifer Hudson’s Love You I Do was previously honoured as the theme song for Dream Girls. But Blige is the first person to have actually written the song themselves: in previous cases the award would go to the song-writer not singer, whereas Blige is both.

The film, which has already been incredibly well received and is available to watch on Netflix, forced Blige to commit deeply to her role and pushed her to let go of professional vanity, casting off the (in her words) “manufactured, material, vain” public persona.

Speaking to the Press Association last year she said, “I had to shed her once I saw Florence’s wardrobe and when I found out I couldn’t wear any lace-fronts and I couldn’t get a perm and I couldn’t wear lashes and I couldn’t wear nails.”

Blige also revealed that her time on the set of Mudbound felt like a very personal challenge. Speaking to The Edit, she admitted that the breakdown of her 13 year marriage, to former manager Martin Isaacs, heavily influenced her acting style.

“The heaviness you seen in Florence came from what I was personally dealing with,” she said. “I was very depressed, and not sure what was going on in my life”, she said.

Clearly Blige’s dedication to her role and the film overall has paid off, and we’ll be crossing our fingers and toes that she scoops the award for both of her nominations.

Images: Rex Features

Mary J Blige just made awards history with her Oscar nominations