Are they really puffing in Mad Men?

August 3, 2008 9:42 PM

Are the actors on Mad Men really smoking? This show seems to revolve around smoking. There are very few scenes without a lit cigarette. I'm wondering if they hired actors who smoke or if they use some kind of stage ciggie?
posted by Dag Maggot to Media & Arts (13 answers total)

Herbal cigarettes, due to laws or union crew regs, I forget which. Source: commentaries and interviews.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:45 PM on August 3, 2008

Herbal cigarettes, due to laws or union crew regs, I forget which. Source: commentaries and interviews.

That makes sense. If it's shot in CA, it's illegal to smoke anywhere indoors where people are working. And I think even hardcore smokers might start to feel a little sick on the 30th take of a smoking scene.
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:49 PM on August 3, 2008

In the most recent TV Guide, the actors mention that they have to smoke Ecstasy herbal cigarettes, about which they are not enthusiastic.
posted by thomas j wise at 9:53 PM on August 3, 2008

Usually herbal, for example, The Smoking Man in The X-Files. They also substitute for joints.

To some extent nonsmoking actors tend to screen themselves out of smoking parts because it's usually in the audition materials. The shots using actual smoke may be limited. On stage some actors may get away with holding but never lighting a cig.
posted by dhartung at 9:55 PM on August 3, 2008

I heard an interview with one of the creators saying that actors who have never really smoked are not allowed to smoke the herbal cigarettes either.
posted by shothotbot at 10:18 PM on August 3, 2008

A friend of mine was a recurring extra on the first season. They are herbal cigarettes.
posted by scody at 10:29 PM on August 3, 2008

There was an interview with Matt Weiner on Fresh Air where he talked about them being herbal cigarettes. He also said that he won't let non-smokers touch a cigarette on screen because the audience can tell that the actor isn't really a smoker.
posted by dseaton at 10:43 PM on August 3, 2008

A recent article in the New York Times brought this up:

The ashtrays are filled with the butts of different brands of cigarettes, some stained with varying shades of lipstick. But the actors smoke Ecstacy herbal cigarettes, tobacco- and nicotine-free. “You don’t want actors smoking real cigarettes,” Weiner said. “They get agitated and nervous. I’ve been on sets where people throw up, they’ve smoked so much.”

Full article here (the specific quote comes from page three). There might be some spoilers for the start of the new season though.
posted by kosher_jenny at 1:16 AM on August 4, 2008

In the some states and countries, within the boundaries of the smoking ban, smoking is allowed for theatrical performances, for example in England here and fully exploited in Minnesota where the pub decided to put on a play called The Tobacco Monologues with all the punters playing 'roles'.
posted by daveyt at 3:28 AM on August 4, 2008

Scody! My sister-in-law was also a recurring extra in the first season! (Her parents were scandalized by the smoking, even though she assured them they weren't "real" cigarettes.)
posted by mothershock at 5:43 AM on August 4, 2008

He also said that he won't let non-smokers touch a cigarette on screen because the audience can tell that the actor isn't really a smoker.

This is interesting. Which characters don't smoke? Peggy, Sterling, and Cooper (and the children) are the only ones I'm relatively sure of.
posted by adamrice at 7:12 AM on August 4, 2008

Sterling smokes, adamrice. Remember that cool cigarette dispenser in Don's office?
posted by infinitewindow at 10:16 AM on August 4, 2008

Pete is also a non-smoker.
posted by Cogito at 12:45 PM on July 16, 2009