It may be out there somewhere, but I have yet to see a Hollywood movie that featured a scene where someone is smoking an electronic cigarette. In recent years, cigarette smoking in movies has been frowned upon, and any that do contain “smoking” scenes tend to receive an awful lot of criticism, because of course movies are said to be very influential in what is considered trendy and what is not.

Actors smoking in movies are often considered bad role models in this modern era, especially with the dangers of smoking being firmly established for many years now. Head back to the black and white movie yesterdays though, and cigarette smoking was extremely common as it was considered cool and sophisticated.

Perhaps the controversy surrounding the electronic cigarette and its first few years on sale is making Hollywood think twice about approaching the subject, but these things don’t seem to be going away and they are yet to be proved anything less than healthier than regular tobacco cigarettes as there is no tobacco present in the e cig, as it is sometimes known.

How long will it really be though, until we see some of our modern day movie icons “vaping” away on an electronic cigarette in a Hollywood blockbuster?

What exactly is an electronic cigarette anyway? Well, in its simplest possible terms it is an electronic device that looks almost identical to a regular cigarette (very similar shape, size and general appearance) but it is reusable. It houses a battery and an atomiser and a nicotine cartridge chamber. It is this cartridge chamber that really makes an electronic cigarette what it is and enables the smoker to reuse it again and again. Nicotine cartridges are available in various strengths, including one that contains no nicotine at all.

It is clear to see that if the legal wrangling over electronic cigarettes is ever resolved and they are declared officially safer than tobacco cigarettes, that these things could be massive. They already seem to be proving popular with smokers trying to quit regular cigarettes and there are hundreds and hundreds of websites and distributors selling them.

Some celebrities already rumoured to have switched to the electronic cigarette are Mr Titanic himself, Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Petty, and Nikki Reid. Perhaps a scene in the current top movie at the world box office, Avatar, where Sigourney Weaver’s character is seen smoking, and has caused much controversy, will in the future be a scene featuring the electronic cigarette?