Are actors to blame for smoking in movies? Some people in the film industry claim that superstars force directors to indulge their real-life tobacco addiction and make it part of the characters they portray. If A-list actors really have such power, they could also use it to reduce on-screen smoking, especially in youth-rated projects. But not one has publicly dared.

And what about the 120,000 other members of the Screen Actors Guild, struggling to find work and build careers? When they land a role, they cannot afford to be remembered as difficult. There are too many other hopefuls standing in line. They lack the clout to force directors to let them smoke. Nor can they easily protect their own health (and their young audiences) by refusing to smoke.

Actors shape young audiences. Can they help reform the film industry?

We highlight actors because they measurably shape young people’s feelings and behavior. Kids hungry for young adult models find them in movies. In fact, researchers find that teens whose favorite actors smoke on screen are sixteen times more likely to think positively about smoking — a strong predictor that they will start smoking themselves.

Between 2004 and 2007, some 750 “credited” actors used tobacco in more than 440 films shown in U.S. theaters. Some are first-rank stars, others are established character actors, more are newcomers who will do almost anything to get hired. In all, about 120 actors smoked in two or more films. The thirty actors listed below smoked in more movies than all other actors.

Of the tobacco performances listed below, 42 percent were youth-rated. How many of these thirty actors do you recognize? Only two smoked in all their roles — so it can’t be that actors “demand” to smoke, as studios have claimed. How many actors really have the leverage to decline to smoke on screen? And how many could help change Hollywood — if they acted together?

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