 Eckhart 's next project was Thank You for Smoking , in which he played Nick Naylor , a tobacco lobbyist whose firm researched the link between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer . Eckhart said that he felt challenged playing the role : " You have to say these words that are crazy , and yet do it with a smile on your face and have the audience like you . At one point , I 'm doing a talk show with a kid who 's dying of cancer , and he 's going through chemotherapy and the whole thing , and I spin it so the anti @-@ smoking people are the bad guys and I 'm the good guy , and I 'm this guy 's best friend . I mean , it 's whacked out . " The film was screened at a special presentation at the 30th annual Toronto International Film Festival in 2005 . It had a limited release in March 2006 and was released worldwide the following month . For his performance , Eckhart received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy . A contributor of USA Today wrote that he gave a " standout , whip @-@ smart performance " citing that as Nick Naylor he kept him " likable even in his cynicism . " In the Seattle Post @-@ Intelligencer review of the film , it was reported that " Under his chummy but <unk> smile " Eckhart radiated charm and " Naylor 's true joys : manipulating arguments , steering debate , cooking words . " 
