At least in the United States, smoking is something fewer and fewer people take up these days. This obviously wasn't the case back in the 50's through the 80's, where cigarettes were commonly smoked out in public.
So whenever I see a period movie or show, filmed in the 2020's but taking place in the 60's, there's frequent scenes where characters are smoking cigarettes in a bar or stress-smoking to the filter after a stressful conversation. And I think to myself, "are these actors all smokers? In this day and age? Or is that an unlit prop ciggy with VFX smoke done in post?"
Are fake cigarettes common in film production now, or are these still typically the real deal?
They’re herb cigarettes. Think about how long scenes take to shoot, it could be days for a single scene. They’d be smoking multiple packs in a day of nonstop smoking. Even actual smokers wouldn’t enjoy it.
I dunno, if I got paid to smoke 3 packs a day I think I'd be pretty happy. I also hate my lungs more than most people though.
Sure, if you're an A-lister making millions. But as a day player doing background work for <$200/day? Nah...
That all depends on who's paying for the cigarettes
I remember hearing that's what they used in filming Peaky Blinders when they smoke all the time.