Of course they can. A contract is a contract. All Lionsgate and/or Sony has to do is start rumors of hard to work with, doesn’t honor contracts, etc. It doesn’t take much to blacklist people in that industry. I think they should take that leap of faith and blow this industry practice wide open but after seeing what the Friends cast said about Jen and David, I guess the fear of that runs very deep.
Oscar doesn’t guarantee anything, ask Oscar winners who had a hard time finding work for a couple of years after their win. I listened to an Armchair Expert podcast with Matt Damon and he said after an intense amount of work just before and during Good Will Hunting (Oscar win for writing, Oscar Nom for acting), he felt like he wasn’t getting many scripts or what was coming wasn’t good but he took it anyway. I’ve heard several interviews from other Oscar winners that post-nom reality did not meet their expecatations.
Case in point, look at Mira Sorvino’s relative drought after her Oscar win because she chose to defy Harvey Weinstein.
I wish Cait well with the movie but I think her fans are far, far, FAR more focused on awards than she is. As I’ve said before, I would rather see any benefit from Belfast be in the area of her desire to turn books to films/shows. I think that’s the better path to steady work and she controls more of it too.
And don’t forget, they are a pair. If one defies TPTB, the other one is and would be directly related to that action and consequence.
Tori