Smoke Free Movies: Who's Who: Actors

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 audience's) 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 2002 and 2004, some 240 “credited” actors used tobacco in 153 top-grossing Hollywood films. Some are stars, others are established character actors, more are newcomers eager to distinguish themselves. The fifty-eight actors listed below smoked on screen in more movies than all other actors in that three-year period. Each used tobacco in two or more movies, displayed a tobacco brand on the Big Screen, or both.

Of the tobacco performances listed, more than half (55%) were youth-rated. Almost one in seven (13%) included brand display. How many names do you recognize? How many have the power to fire a director who suggests they smoke or fondle a brand? And how many could change Hollywood — if they acted together?

Actors who smoked in two or more films and/or used a brand (2002-2004)
ACTOR	MOVIES SMOKED IN	BRAND
Mos Def	Brown Sugar (PG-13)	-
	The Italian Job (PG-13)	-
	Showtime (PG-13)	-
Andy Garcia	Confidence (R)	Marlboro
	Ocean’s Twelve (PG-13)	-
	Twisted (R)	-
Jude Law	Alfie (R)	Marlboro
	The Aviator (PG-13)	-
	Closer (R)	-
Olivier Martinez	S.W.A.T. (PG-13)	-
	Taking Lives (R)	-
	Unfaithful (R)	-
Chi McBride	I, Robot (PG-13)	-
	The Terminal (PG-13)	-
	Undercover Brother (PG-13)	-
Viggo Mortensen	Hidalgo (PG-13)	-
	Lord of the Rings 2 (PG-13)	-
	Lord of the Rings 3 (PG-13)	-
Bill Murray	The Life Aquatic (R)	-
	Lost in Translation (R)	-
	The Royal Tennenbaums (R)	-
Amanda Peet	High Crimes (PG-13 )	-
	Identity (R)	-
	Something’s Gotta Give (PG-13)	-
Mickey Rourke	Once Upon a Time in Mexico (R)	-
	Man on Fire (R)	-
	Tupac: Resurrection (R) (documentary)	-
J.K. Simmons	Hidalgo (PG-13)	-
	Spider-Man (PG-13)	-
	Spider-Man 2 (PG-13)	-
John Travolta	Basic (R)	Skoal
	Ladder 49 (PG-13)	-
	The Punisher (R)	-
Stanley Tucci	Big Trouble (PG-13)	-
	The Core (PG-13)	-
	Road to Perdition (R)	-
Brian Van Holt	Basic (R)	-
	Confidence (R)	-
	S.W.A.T. (PG-13)	-
Vince Vaughn	Anchorman (PG-13)	-
	Old School (R)	-
	Starsky and Hutch (PG-13)	-
Owen Wilson	The Life Aquatic (R)	-
	The Royal Tennenbaums (R)	-
	Shanghai Knights (PG-13)	-
Smoked in Two Movies
Ben Affleck	Jersey Girl (PG-13)	-
Ben Affleck	Paycheck (PG-13)	-
Antonio Banderas	Ballistic (R)	Marlboro
Antonio Banderas	Femme Fatale (R)	Camel, Winston
Pierce Brosnan	After the Sunset (PG-13)	-
Pierce Brosnan	Die Another Day (PG-13)	-
Nicholas Cage	Matchstick Men (PG-13)	Tareyton
Nicholas Cage	Windtalkers	-
Don Cheadle	After the Sunset (PG-13)	-
Don Cheadle	Ocean’s Twelve (PG-13)	-
Johnny Depp	Once Upon a Time in Mexico (R)	-
Johnny Depp	Secret Window (PG-13)	L&M
Vin Diesel	A Man Apart (R)	-
Vin Diesel	Knockaround Guys (R)	-
Snoop Dogg	Soul Plane (R)	-
Snoop Dogg	Tupac: Resurrection (R) (documentary)	-
Charles S. Dutton	Against the Ropes (PG-13)	-
Charles S. Dutton	Gothika (R)	-
Robert Duvall	Open Range (R)	-
Robert Duvall	Secondhand Lions (PG)	-
Michael Ealy	Barbershop (PG-13)	-
Michael Ealy	Barbershop 2 (PG-13)	-
Colin Farrell	Hart’s War (R)	-
Colin Farrell	Phone Booth (R)	-
Will Farrell	Anchorman (PG-13)	-
Will Farrell	Starsky and Hutch (PG-13)	-
Paul Giamatti	Big Fat Liar (PG)	-
Paul Giamatti	Confidence (R)	-
Jake Gyllenhaal	The Good Girl (R)	-
Jake Gyllenhaal	Moonlight Mile (PG-13)	-
Maggie Gyllenhaal	Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (R)	-
Maggie Gyllenhaal	Mona Lisa Smile (PG-13)	-
Dustin Hoffman	Finding Neverland (PG)	-
Dustin Hoffman	Moonlight Mile (PG-13)	-
Kate Hudson	The Four Feathers (PG-13)	-
Kate Hudson	Raising Helen (PG-13)	-
Samuel L. Jackson	Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (R)	-
Samuel L. Jackson	Twisted (R)	Marlboro
Scarlet Johansson	Lost in Translation (R)	-
Scarlet Johansson	The Perfect Score (PG-13)	-
Ashley Judd	Divine Secrets…Ya-Ya (PG-13)	-
Ashley Judd	Twisted (R)	-
Queen Latifah	Chicago (PG-13)	-
Queen Latifah	Scary Movie 3 (PG-13)	-
John Leguizamo	Collateral Damage (R)	-
John Leguizamo	Empire (R)	-
Juliette Lewis	Cold Creek Manor (R)	-
Juliette Lewis	Old School (R)	-
Alison Lohman	Matchstick Men (PG-13)	-
Alison Lohman	White Oleander (PG-13)	-
William H. Macy	Seabiscuit (PG-13)	-
William H. Macy	Spartan (R)	-
M. McConaughey	How to Lose A Guy…(PG-13)	-
M. McConaughey	Reign of Fire (PG-13)	-
Alfred Molina	Frida (R)	-
Alfred Molina	Spider-Man 2 (PG-13)	-
Eddie Murphy	Adven. of Pluto Nash (PG-13)	-
Eddie Murphy	The Haunted Mansion (PG)	-
Al Pacino	The Recruit (PG-13)	-
Al Pacino	Simone (PG-13)	-
Dennis Quaid	The Alamo (PG-13)	-
Dennis Quaid	Flight of the Phoenix (PG-13)	-
Tim Robbins	Anchorman (PG-13) [Uncred.]	-
Tim Robbins	Mystic River (R)	Winston
Sam Rockwell	Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (R)	-
Sam Rockwell	Matchstick Men (PG-13)	-
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos	Femme Fatale (R)	Marlboro
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos	The Punisher (R)	-
Tony Shalhoub	Against the Ropes (PG-13)	-
Tony Shalhoub	Life or Something Like It (PG-13)	-
John Turturro	Anger Management (R)	-
John Turturro	Secret Window (PG-13)	Pall Mall
Denzel Washington	Man on Fire (R)	-
Denzel Washington	The Manchurian Candidate (R)	-
Renee Zellweger	Bridget Jones 2 (R)	-
Renee Zellweger	Down with Love (PG-13)	-
Smoked a Specific Brand in One Movie
James Debello	Cabin Fever (R)	Marlboro
James Franco	City by the Sea (R)	Newport
Cuba Gooding, Jr.	The Fighting Temptations (PG-13)	Monte Cristo
Angelina Jolie	Life or Something Like It (PG-13)	Camel
Natalie Portman	Closer (R)	Marlboro
NOTES: Listed alphabetically within groups.These actors may have made other movies that do not include smoking. SOURCE: Ten top-grossing U.S. films each week between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2004 from American Lung Association Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Project www.scenesmoking.org. List updated May 1, 2005.

More on brand appearance in recent films ...