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News analysis......

for his role as Jim Hacker, the hapless USA: Sex and the minister, later prime minister in the 1980s British television comedy series Ciggie ‘‘Yes, Minister’’ and ‘‘Yes, Prime The much hyped season finale of the US Minister’’, Eddington first rose to fame cable TV smash hit ‘‘’’ a decade earlier in a British sitcom featured the return of smoking by the called ‘‘The Good Life’’. This featured leading lady. two couples, neighbours, one relatively Iconic, independent woman Carrie successful and wealthy, the other doing Bradshaw smoked throughout the first less well in life. Eddington played the few seasons but managed to quit during husband of the successful couple, and the third. The series won a 2001 PRISM his screen character was a smoker. But award for accurate depiction of a nico- being an intelligent, thoughtful man tine addiction. with a strong social conscience, and Her downfall in the finale came while realising how inappropriate it was to she was in Paris, where ‘‘everybody portray smoking as part of the good life, smokes’’. It’s hard to miss the glorifica- he asked the writer whether a scene or tion of smoking in this episode. Not only two could be inserted about him giving is her Marlboro Lights pack prominently up the habit. To his pleasant surprise, displayed for long periods, but Carrie’s The ‘‘Sex and the City’’ season finale, in which the writer immediately agreed with him, enjoyment of her first smoke can only the central character Carrie Bradshaw took up and told him simply not to smoke again be described as radiant. smoking again, appeared to glorify the activity. in the part. It was not even necessary to There is a remarkable sequence when refer to it, he said; from then on, the her boyfriend, played by Mikhail addictively sucking on a cigarette. character would simply be a non-smoker. Barishnikov, tells Carrie what his ex- Smoking was an integral part of his Eddington, a Quaker, had a long wife thought of her. Carrie has just persona, reflecting his sickness and history of quiet involvement with retrieved a cigarette from her purse despair. He was even known derogato- important causes. When necessary, he when Barishnikov says, ‘‘She found rily as ‘‘cancer man’’. While I think it’s a was prepared to be a little less quiet, as you…’’ and here’s where the timing is mistake to excuse smoking by villains— key: just as the flame touches Carries villains always have great power along when he publicly resigned in protest cigarette and she begins puffing, we with other attractive qualities that can from the board of trustees of the Bristol hear the lines, ‘‘beautiful smart and be associated with smoking—it seemed Old Vic theatre company after it refused chic’’. Barishnikov later takes a puff of to work for this particular character. to end sponsorship from Wills Tobacco, the cigarette, and even, as he’s getting So how did ex-smoker Davis deal which had a large factory in the city. He into a cab, tells her, ‘‘I like the smoking. with the requirements of his role? was a founder of a high profile group It’s very sexy’’. Being well aware of nicotine’s potential opposing tobacco sponsorship of the , who plays from his own experience, he demon- arts, and helped Action on Smoking Carrie, has said she didn’t want to do strated his screen character’s serious and Health (ASH) on several occasions. the smoking scenes, but the writer, nicotine addiction by smoking herbal, Sadly, he did not live to see the UK’s ad Michael Patrick King, apparently not tobacco cigarettes. After all, it’s well ban—he died of a rare form of skin insisted. ‘‘I told Michael Patrick, I said, accepted that actors don’t have to drink cancer in 1995—but he inspired and oh, please, don’t—must she smoke alcohol or shoot heroin for their roles. enlivened ASH’s work towards it. again?… But he writes great stories He also used something known in the and it’s hard once you read one not to entertainment trade as ‘‘acting’’. see his point.’’ Directors and writers: please, have a Parker dutifully smoked, and soon heart—be kind to your actors. Don’t became hooked once again herself. ‘‘I addict them. There are alternatives to would say I had to smoke for work and the smoking cliche´, and when smoking then I slipped.’’ is absolutely necessary, there are even We hear of this addiction-through- alternatives to tobacco. acting process quite often. An actor is GENE BORIO given a role in which the character must [email protected] smoke, according to the writer and/or director. After the show is over, a little something of the role remains with the UK: acting normal actor, a nicotinic memento—he or she is still smoking. So what can an actor do? without smoking In the case of ‘‘Sex and the City’’, Ms The issue of actors being made to smoke Parker might have chatted with William on stage or screen is not a new one, B Davis, the ‘‘cigarette smoking man’’ but compared to the ‘‘Sex and the of the wildly successful series, ‘‘The City’’ story above, British actor Paul X-Files’’. Davis, the arch villain of the Eddington had more luck 30 years ago. series, was almost never seen without Although he was best known worldwide Actor Paul Eddington: an ASH supporter.

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