Thank You for Smoking in the Movies

There is a scene in my "Abyss" movie where Manny starts smoking a blunt while Eric has an unpleasant phone conversation with the bus company. So, the theme of this week’s Monday Movie Meme is inspired by one man’s pastime during a tense situation: Thank You for Smoking.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring people who smoke. This includes cigarettes, cigars and weed. Remember to link back to this blog post and visit the blogs of other Monday Movie Meme participants. Here are my selections for this week’s Thank You for Smoking theme.

The Golden Child
There is a dragon lady in this movie who smokes cigarettes behind a screen while offering advice on how to find a kidnapped child in Tibet.

Set It Off
Three of the leading friends in this movie get high, smoking marijuana on a rooftop following their latest shift work as janitors. I’m saying three because the fourth friend named T.T.(played by Kimberly Elise) is a non-smoker who just chills with the group, imagining what the job market would be like if a nearby factory didn’t start laying off its workforce. This is the scene where Frankie’s (played by Vivica A. Fox) bank robbery suggestion gets serious.

Love Jones
One of the main characters, Darius, has such a heavy smoking habit that his married friend suggests that its the reason he couldn’t run fast enough through that train station. “Maybe if you weren’t sucking on those cancer sticks...you would’ve caught her!” is one of the lines that reference his smoking habit.

What movies have YOU watched that feature people with smoking habits?

Making Movies with Mark Johnson - Best Friends Forever #indiefilm

Mark Johnson stars in my short film, Abyss, as Eric’s best friend, Manny -- a carefree ladies’ man who tried to help create a winning reality TV contest entry.

I cast Mark for this role because he delivered strong performances at his auditions -- on and off camera. Mark also seemed like he could think quick on his feet if a scene took a different turn than what was laid out in the script, regardless of who he shares his screen time with. His swag, however, gave him an advantage among my casting team and was, ultimately, the defining factor in him being chosen as Manny. 

While watching the audition footage, one of the casting team members said she felt like Mark was hitting on her; someone else agreed while adding that his swag was not only about how he delivered Manny’s lines but also what he did while in character....

“I would go with Mark because he fit the role with deceptively smooth facial expressions that spoke just as much as the words”

During the pre-production and production stages, Mark’s good rapport with castmates including Mike Gaudioso and Rodney Benson brought more realistic depictions of his character’s relationships with people, on screen.

Making Movies with Mike Gaudioso - On Active Duty #indiefilm

I cast Mike Gaudioso for the role of Dr. Montgomery in my short film, Abyss, because he has natural talent that cannot be missed. Gaudioso became the character during his audition, rather than “acting” like a medical professional. Members of my casting team who reviewed his audition footage agree with this observation, making the selection process much easier -- thanks to a unanimous vote in his favor. Here are some of the things they said.

“This role was made for him” and “I forgot that I was watching an audition”

Needless to say, his chemistry with Rodney Benson worked for the scenes they had together, based on the script!