Tobacco is the true villain in Hollywood movies
Next time you see your favorite star light up on the silver screen, you can thank Big Tobacco.Documents that were part of the 1998 settlement with Big Tobacco show their relationship with Hollywood dates all the way back to the 1930s. The goal is to popularize and normalize smoking by placing tobacco products in the hands of directors, producers and stars along with millions of dollars in subsidies.
In return for the cash and free products, Hollywood makes smoking appear glamorous and sophisticated, something both the wealthy and poor can enjoy equally, regardless of their station in life. Tobacco products are portrayed as the great equalizer, not only between social classes, but between the sexes as well.
The big three – Sony, Time Warner and Disney – account for 60% of all youth-rated films that feature smoking. Studies indicate that as many as 125,000 adolescent smokers will die because of the positive portrayal of smoking in major movies.
A movement to go smoke-free
But there is hope. In 2001, Stanton Glantz published the first article in the Los Angeles Times and Reality Check launched an initiative in 2002 called Tobacco and Hollywood: Headed Toward a Breakup. It is designed to educate parents, community leaders and legislators about the highly profitable and often secretive connection between Hollywood and Big Tobacco. Its goal is the elimination of smoking in all rated G, PG and PG-13 films. How does the movement propose to make these movies smokeless?
- An ‘R’ Rating for all movies with smoking. The only exceptions would be films that show the dangers and consequences of tobacco or portray a historical figure that smoked.
- No payoffs certification. The producers would post a certificate in the end credits declaring that no one connected with the movie accepted payments, loans or free products in exchange for using tobacco products in the movie.
- Anti-smoking ads in the theater. Studios and theaters would be encouraged to run strong anti-smoking ads before any movie, regardless of rating.
- Elimination of brands. All brand identification in movies would be eliminated, including logos on billboards, vehicles and individual packs of cigarettes.
Is it just coincidence that we’re seeing more tobacco in movies these days?
Since Big Tobacco is prohibited from advertising on radio, television or sporting events, tobacco companies have turned to movies in a big way. Relatively unregulated and highly influential, movies provide Big Tobacco with a great way to portray its products in a positive light. Not only do the companies subsidize production with millions of dollars for product placement, they also dole out free products to cast and crew.
Between 1999 and 2007, movies delivered 51.1 billion tobacco impressions on audiences. Movies targeted to children had 3.1 billion impressions in 2007 alone. Though the number of smokers has been declining since the mid 1980s, the instances of smoking in movies have almost doubled since then.
It’s no coincidence either that Marlboros have been featured in 74 of Hollywood’s top-grossing movies over the last 15 years. The parent company pays millions for the privilege. According to one time president of Philip Morris (now Altria), Hamish Maxwell,
“Smoking is being positioned as an unfashionable, as well as unhealthy, custom. We must use every creative means at our disposal to reverse this destructive trend. I do feel heartened at the increasing number of occasions when I go to a movie and see a pack of cigarettes in the hands of the leading lady… We must continue to exploit new opportunities to get cigarettes on screen and into the hands of smokers.”
What you can do to help make movies smoke-free
Thankfully, there’s something we can all do to support the smoke-free movie movement. - First, you can write the studio executives asking them to stop accepting subsidies and freebies from Big Tobacco. To date, more than 300,000 letters have been sent to key figures in Hollywood.
- You can write your favorite actors and actresses and ask them to stop accepting producer and director overtures to have their characters smoke. “A-list” stars have a lot of power on the set these days. You can also write your son or daughter’s favorite actors, appealing to them to stop encouraging children to smoke.
- Have an interactive movie night where you can educate viewers about the impact of smoking in movies and how grassroots efforts can make movies smoke-free. If you belong to a civic or community organization, these nights can help others get involved so they too can pressure the movie industry as well to make movies smoke-free, especially those that are G, PG and PG-13 rated.
- Finally, you can ask the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to put pressure on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to change the rating system so any movie that shows smoking in a positive light receives an R rating. This will prevent many children from being exposed to the message that smoking is normal and cool. Currently, 52% of all children age 10 to 14 who start smoking take up the habit because they saw their favorite actor light up in a movie.