The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp, was one of the first films to use devices

He claims devices were crucial to his

Cigarettes enhanced sex appeal, signified rebellion and oozed glamour when used by film stars in the golden age of Hollywood.

But tobacco companies hoping that e-cigarettes will receive similar treatment are in for an unpleasant surprise.

Oscar nominee Michael Shannon has argued that the vaporising devices are ideal props for amoral villains who look ‘too slick to be trusted’.

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Actor Michael Shannon (left) says that e-cigarettes are ideal props for amoral villains. The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp, was one of the first films to show the devices (pictured)

Shannon, who stars as a corrupt estate agent in 99 Homes, said that his e-cigarette was a crucial part of his character, in an interview with The Times.

The prop was suggested by Ramin Bahrani, the film’s director, who believes that e-cigarettes may come to denote characters who are too slick and charming to be trustworthy.

'Ramin gave me one e-cigarette and I started tooting on it like…I can’t think of a good metaphor,’ said Shannon, who starred in Revolutionary Road.

‘I couldn’t stop fiddling with it. It was always in my hand.‘

‘It’s like one of those old cartoons with the steam blowing out of the smokestack, and that’s what Caver is like – this smokestack that’s about to blow all the time.’

He said that it came in most useful when his character was trying to evict a desperate man, who responds by threatening to shoot his family and himself.

Cigarettes denoted glamour and rebellion for film icons such as Audrey Hepburn and James Dean

Electronic cigarettes are s a battery-powered vaporisers which simulates tobacco smoking

‘I think the whole film inevitably led to the place where he’s standing in front of Frank Greene’s house and not knowing what to do with himself. That’s where the e-cigarette comes in handy.’

Asked if it would catch on as a prop for villains, Shannon said: ‘Who knows? Probably. Other directors are going to copy it.’

The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, was one of the first films to feature electronic cigarettes.

Depp is seen using the device on a train, when questioned why he is smoking in public place, which is obviously banned, he explains how electronic cigarettes are exempt from the public smoking ban.

Traditional cigarettes denoted glamour and empowerment for female stars like Marlene Dietrich and Bette Davis.

And Audrey Hepburn’s cigarette holder in breakfast in Tiffany’s became a character-defining prop.

Smoking enhanced Marlon Brando’s sex appeal in A Streetcar Named Desire and signified rebellion for James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.

Smoking has declined sharply since a legal agreement in 1998 under which tobacco companies are restricted in using films for product placement.