Onscreen cigarettes aren’t just for the Don Drapers and Thomas Shelbys of the television and movie world anymore. In fact, it seems more contemporary characters than ever are blowing smoke. After years of Hollywood butting out, why are so many stars picking back up for roles in 2025?

People have smoked tobacco for millennia, so naturally, characters have been smoking on film for almost as long as the medium has existed. But as smoking rates have decreased among American adults, it would also be reasonable to assume that cinema would follow suit. Fewer American adults partake than ever (just 11.6%, down from a whopping 42.6% in 1965), yet movies and television can’t seem to cut the habit.

Smoke and Mirrors

As an avid movie and television consumer—and an ex-smoker—I’ve observed countless

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