I dunno, I'm an ex smoker. If I'm near a cigarette, that crap messes with me.
But vapers? I've had to tell a few off for not watching where they blow, but it is absolutely not the same as smoke. It doesn't trigger the same responses, it doesn't speed up my heart, clog my sinuses, our send me into a sneezing bout. I'd defer to any coherent data on its effects, but in terms of being intrusive, it just isn't the same.
I agree with you, mostly.
And I've seen the opinion expressed a lot. Which means I can't really call it unpopular, though it also isn't a majority opinion either.
Where I would disagree is that his performance wasn't his best overall, despite it being his best movie. A good bit of the work involved came from direction, editing, and the rest of the cast as well. He didn't, however, do great delivering his lines.
Where I agree is that he didn't have a lot of lines. Most of what made the character shine was physical and facial. That's where he was great. He still is superb at that; he plays for the back rows, and it works.
For sure though, it's still his best movie overall