Smoking is gross no matter how you look at it. If you smoke and have never stopped, you don't know that smoking is so much more than that sexy curl of smoke rising from the butt.
I may have a degree in Drama, but I really majored in smoking cigarettes and drinking beer and pretty much got departmental honors in both. I no longer do either.
In NY you may not smoke in a place of work including theatres on stage which explains the use of herbal cigarettes in all shows.
If you do not smoke and find yourself facing a character that does, the first thing to try is cutting the smoking. If it is necessary for the role, then for God's sake rehearse it. Do every rehearsal with a cigarette in your hand. I have seen big names blow the mood in scenes because they are uncomfortable smoking. Ask your smoking friends to let you watch the technique.
If you don't want to smoke and/or don't want to learn, don't take the part. There are any number of actors who won't do it, and their agents tell the casting people right off the bat, "They won't smoke."
Stopping smoking is one of the very toughest things I have ever done. Consequently I am very proud of being smoke-free for 25+ years. I also know that I could pick up a cigarette right now and smoke it (and probably throw up), but I would also pick up a second one, etc. and be a smoker again just like 'that'.
Nicotine is an insidious drug.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
Many dancers today smoke as a means of weight control.
