# Do moviemakers make actors smoke?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066 "2004-09-20T01:07:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/1 "2004-09-20T01:07:56Z")
It seems like so many actors in the movies smoke! I’ve even heard of one case where an actress who didn’t smoke had to “learn to smoke” in order to get the leading part in the movie. I remember seeing her on a talk show when she mentioned this. (I don’t recall the name of the movie, but I think that the name of the actress was Tripplehorn.) Does one HAVE to smoke to make it on the silver screen??? ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/2 "2004-09-20T01:14:05Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcigsforactors.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcigsforactors.html) ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/3 "2004-09-20T01:23:59Z")
You’re probably thinking of the movie _'Til There Was You_, if the actress was Jeanne Tripplehorn. FWIW, she smoked with Michael Douglas in _Basic Instinct_, but in a different way. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/4 "2004-09-20T02:42:57Z")
I’d just like to confirm that the lady in question is smokin’. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/5 "2004-09-20T03:15:07Z")
I remember reading somewhere that edward Norton, known to be an ardent non-smoker, flat out refused to smoke in _American History X_ and was pretty much the only character in the movie who didn’t. At the time, I don’t think he was that big of a name actor so I doubt he had that much clout so evidently, it’s not required in all instances and can be refused by some. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/6 "2004-09-20T10:12:36Z")
Jane Fonda smoked herbal cigarettes in “Agnes of God”. She was an aerobics queen at the time, and the character - a psychiatrist - was a chain smoker. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/7 "2004-09-20T14:49:37Z")
After reading **Cervaise** article (linked by **Garfield** above), I have a question: isn’t it relatively easy to draw cigarette smoke into the mouth, hold it a second, and then exhale? Does the smoke _have to_ go into the lungs for it to look right? IOW, why would a non-smoking actor have to learn to smoke “down to the lungs”? Couldn’t they just learn to bring smoke into the mouth, and no further? Non-smoker here, so I might be missing something obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/8 "2004-09-20T15:01:16Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I remember reading somewhere that edward Norton, known to be an ardent non-smoker, flat out refused to smoke in _American History X_ and was pretty much the only character in the movie who didn’t. Not to hijack the thread, but I liked that his character didn’t smoke in that movie. Made sense. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/9 "2004-09-20T15:09:21Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > After reading **Cervaise** article (linked by **Garfield** above), I have a question: isn’t it relatively easy to draw cigarette smoke into the mouth, hold it a second, and then exhale? Does the smoke _have to_ go into the lungs for it to look right? > > IOW, why would a non-smoking actor have to learn to smoke “down to the lungs”? Couldn’t they just learn to bring smoke into the mouth, and no further? > > Non-smoker here, so I might be missing something obvious. Thinking back to when I first started smoking, anyone who doesn’t smoke and tries to inhale the smoke deeply into the lungs is siezed with a coughing spell that just won’t stop. I think You have to accomodate to the poison a little bit at a ytime. ---
**Author:** ![larsenmtl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@larsenmtl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larsenmtl)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-moviemakers-make-actors-smoke/265066/10 "2004-09-20T16:16:44Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > After reading **Cervaise** article (linked by **Garfield** above), I have a question: isn’t it relatively easy to draw cigarette smoke into the mouth, hold it a second, and then exhale? Does the smoke _have to_ go into the lungs for it to look right? > > IOW, why would a non-smoking actor have to learn to smoke “down to the lungs”? Couldn’t they just learn to bring smoke into the mouth, and no further? > > Non-smoker here, so I might be missing something obvious. It’s pretty obvious to smokers/ex-smokers/people that hang out with smokers when someone brings smoke into their mouth and blows it out (ie doesn’t inhale). It’s true that it just doesn’t look right. Smoke that’s been inhaled comes out thinner and more disperse.