You see it in almost every gritty crime drama. A character leans over a glass table, rolls up a hundred-dollar bill, and takes a massive hit of white powder. It looks painful. It looks real. But obviously, Al Pacino wasn’t actually doing grams of blow on the set of Scarface. If he were, that movie would have been filmed in about three hours and the budget for heart insurance would have been astronomical.
So, what are they actually doing?
The answer has changed over the decades. Back in the day, it was a bit of a Wild West situation. Now, it’s a highly regulated, safety-first process managed by prop masters who have to worry about everything from nasal irrigation to how a powder catches the light of a $50,000 camera lens. People always guess it's flour or sugar. It’s not. Those would be terrible ideas.
The Secret Ingredient: Inositol and Vitamin Powders
Most of the time, when you’re wondering what do actors snort in movies, the answer is Inositol.
Inositol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol, often classified as a B-vitamin (though technically it isn't quite a vitamin). It’s commonly found in dietary supplements. Prop masters love it because it’s a fine, white crystalline powder that mimics the look of high-grade cocaine perfectly.
It’s also relatively "safe."
I use quotes there because snorting anything isn't exactly great for the human body. However, Inositol is less irritating than most alternatives. If an actor has to do thirty takes—and in a David Fincher movie, they probably will—their nasal passages aren't going to dissolve.
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Sometimes, they’ll use lactose powder if the actor isn’t dairy-intolerant. But Inositol remains the gold standard. It’s light. It flies up the straw easily. It doesn't clump as much as flour would. Flour is actually a nightmare on set because it gets gummy when it hits moisture. Imagine having a paste of wet dough stuck in your sinuses for a twelve-hour shoot. No thanks.
Why Cornstarch is a Backup (But a Bad One)
In a pinch, some low-budget productions might reach for cornstarch. It looks okay on camera. It’s cheap. You can get it at any grocery store.
But here’s the problem: cornstarch is incredibly heavy and dense. When an actor snorts it, it tends to hit the back of the throat like a brick. It causes immediate coughing fits. If you’re trying to look like a suave drug kingpin and you suddenly start hacking up a white cloud, the take is ruined.
Plus, cornstarch can lead to some nasty sinus infections. Prop master Jeff Butcher, who worked on Requiem for a Dream and The Wolf of Wall Street, has spoken extensively about the evolution of these props. He’s moved away from anything that could cause a medical emergency on set. Safety is the priority.
The Jonah Hill Incident: When "Safe" Props Go Wrong
Even "safe" powders have limits. During the filming of The Wolf of Wall Street, Jonah Hill famously ended up hospitalized.
He was snorting vitamin powder—specifically Inositol—for seven months. Because Martin Scorsese likes to do a lot of takes, Jonah was inhaling massive quantities of the stuff. Eventually, his lungs couldn't handle the particulate matter. He developed bronchitis.
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"I had to be hospitalized," Hill later told Bill Simmons in an interview. "If you ingest that much matter into your lungs, you’ll get very sick."
This highlights a reality of movie making: even the fake stuff is a physical hazard. Actors often have to use "neti pots" or saline rinses between takes to clear out their systems. It’s not glamorous. It’s actually pretty gross. You’ll have a world-famous A-lister standing over a plastic bin, shooting salt water up their nose to get rid of fake vitamin powder.
The Straw Trick and Other Prop Magic
Not every actor actually inhales the powder.
If you watch closely, sometimes the camera angle hides the end of the straw. Or, prop masters will coat the inside of the straw with Vaseline. This causes the powder to stick to the inside of the tube rather than going up into the actor’s nose.
There are also specialized vacuum straws. These are hollow tubes with a tiny hidden compartment or a motorized suction device that pulls the powder into a chamber inside the prop, rather than into the actor's body. These are expensive, but for a scene requiring a "mountain" of powder, they save the actor's health.
What about other drugs?
- Heroin: Usually, this is just some combination of sugar and baking soda if it’s being snorted. If it’s being "cooked" in a spoon, it’s often mannitol or just caramelized sugar and water.
- Pills: Usually just placebos or sugar discs pressed to look like the real thing.
- Marijuana: Hollywood uses "wizard smoke" or herbal tobacco-free cigarettes. They smell terrible—like burning lawn clippings—but they don't get the crew high.
Visual Consistency on Camera
The lighting department has a huge say in what do actors snort in movies.
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Pure white powder can "bloom" or "blow out" on digital sensors, meaning it just looks like a glowing white blob with no texture. Prop masters sometimes mix in a tiny bit of baby powder or even very fine grey dust to give the "drugs" some dimension. It needs to look like it has crystals. It needs to look like it has weight.
Practical Steps for Filmmakers and Curious Minds
If you are a student filmmaker or just someone interested in the technical side of the craft, there are specific ways to handle "drug" props without ending up in the ER.
- Never use talcum powder. Old-school sets used it, but it’s now linked to serious lung issues and asbestos contamination. Avoid it at all costs.
- Hydration is key. If an actor is snorting Inositol, they must use a saline nasal spray every few takes. This prevents the powder from drying out the mucous membranes and causing nosebleeds.
- Check for allergies. Always ask if an actor is lactose intolerant before using milk-based powders. A "safe" prop isn't safe if it causes an anaphylactic reaction.
- Test the "clumping." Before the camera rolls, see how the powder reacts to a razor blade. If it sticks to the blade, it won't look realistic when the character is "chopping" lines. Adding a tiny bit of anti-caking agent can help.
- Vacuum straws are your friend. If the budget allows, use a mechanical prop. The less foreign material entering a human's lungs, the better the shoot will go.
The reality of Hollywood is far less "rock and roll" than the movies suggest. It’s a world of B-vitamins, neti pots, and Vaseline-coated straws. It’s all about the illusion.
When you see a character spiraling out of control on screen, the actor is likely just dealing with a very dry nose and a slight sugar rush from the Inositol hitting their system. It’s a strange way to make a living, but that’s the magic of the movies.
Next time you watch a crime epic, look for the subtle signs of the "Vaseline straw" or the way the powder moves. You’ll see that the grit and danger are often just a well-placed pile of dietary supplements.