Experts Reveal Chain Smoking Is Seen On Screen As ‘Cool’ Because It Means ‘Recklessness’

Smoking was once the epitome of Hollywood glamor in movies and TV shows before it was seen as distasteful by the turn of the millennium.

However, puffing on a cigarette seems to be making a resurgence on the TV screen with shows like The Idol, Russian Doll, The Queen’s Gambit, and The Umbrella Academy featuring chain-smoking scenes.

The Queen’s Gambit, which was streamed by 62 million households in 2020, featured 220 tobacco smoking scenes.

While The Umbrella Academy featured 205 tobacco images, with both shows featuring tobacco in every episode, according to a report by anti-smoking non-profit Truth Initiative.

So why has this habit, once seen as gross and unhealthy, made a comeback? Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told FEMAIL that chain smoking is again seen as “cool” on screen because it “means recklessness.”

He revealed that smoking is becoming more common among characters because pulling a cigarette is still seen as “cool.”

He said: ‘Cigarettes and movies have been inextricably linked for generations. Since the advent of the talkies, tobacco companies have understood the power of film to shape cultural norms.

“In the 1930s and 1940s, tobacco companies paid Hollywood stars to appear in cigarette commercials and smoke on screen.

‘In return, the studios received money for film advertising.

“The problem for anti-smoking groups is that smoking in movies and TV often means recklessness, and being reckless is cool.

“The new wave of TV shows are highly sexual, with The Idol and Poker Face glorifying smoking as a classy and seductive act.

“It’s not known if there’s any product placement funding the resurgence of smoking, but one thing is certain: it’s definitely not going to go away.

“It’s much cooler to have characters smoke and take a puff!”

In 2000s pop culture, smoking was considered pretty trendy for a while, with major celebs of the era smoking a cigarette, including Kate Moss, Britney Spears, and even the Olsen twins.

In TV shows and movies, Bridget Jones, Rachel from Friends, and even Carrie Bradshaw enjoyed a cigarette while working on her newspaper column.

However, as education about the effects of smoking became more mainstream, people called to see less of it on our screens.

Nicotine, a highly addictive poison found in tobacco, is strongly linked to dangerous increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Streamed by 62 million households in 2020, The Queen’s Gambit featured 220 tobacco smoking scenes

While Netflix’s Russian Doll saw actor Natasha Lyonne play a recklessly cool character who smoked hundreds of cigarettes throughout the series

While smoking kills around 78,000 people in the UK each year, many more are living with illnesses as a result of their habit.

Health warnings on packaging became mandatory in 2002, advertisements were banned in 2003 and indoor smoking was banned in 2007.

For a while, you rarely saw cigarettes on screen unless there was a specific reason for a 1970s or 1980s scene.

Which begs the question…why are TV dramas and movies giving cigarettes a comeback?

Even when the cult classic Sex and The City returned in mid-2021, Carrie Bradshaw, who was played by Sarah Jessica Parker, was smoking again after years of quitting.

The writer turned podcaster notoriously chugged on her beloved Marlboro Lights on and off throughout all six seasons of Sex and the City, which aired on HBO from 1998-2004.

Even when the cult classic Sex and The City returned in mid-2021, Carrie Bradshaw, who was played by Sarah Jessica Parker, was smoking again after years of quitting.

The writer turned podcaster notoriously chugged off on her beloved Marlboro Lights on and off throughout all six seasons of Sex and the City, which aired on HBO from 1998-2004

The Ohio-born star was even joined by her brand new co-star – Homeland alum Sarita Choudhury – as they hung out in the backseat of a Mercedes.

Bradshaw is said to have a famous connection with her now husband – Mr. Big (Chris Noth) – for their shared love of cigarettes until he had heart surgery in season six.

In The Idol, the controversial new show airing on Sky Atlantic, Lily-Rose Depp’s character is constantly chain-smoking and even lights up three cigarettes in the first five minutes.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s Russian Doll actor Natasha Lyonne played a recklessly cool character who smoked hundreds of cigarettes throughout the series.

Despite Netflix’s pledges to cut down on-screen tobacco consumption after criticism of how often it depicted cigarette use, smoking has certainly not been suppressed.