Is it really possible for us to get attached to a character in a commercial? Commercials are by default some of the most annoying things you can stumble upon (they rudely interrupt your favorite TV show or movie, wow). But, as several other attempts before have proven, you can definitely make a commercial something that people can like or even look forward to. This was the case, more or less, with the AT&T commercial girl.
We know her as Lily and she stole our hearts with her vibrant personality that makes us wish all spokespeople were like this. And believe it or not, but there is a really interesting story attached to the real person behind the Lily character. So, here we go – 8 AT&T Commercial Girl Facts You Probably Didn’t Know.
#1 Name & Age
Lily’s name isn’t actually Lily, though that almost seems like a given. Friends and family actually know her as Milana Aleksandrovna Vayntrub, a (currently) 29-year-old woman born in Tashkent, Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.
#2 Religious Persecution
The country that would then be called Uzbekistan had been declared officially atheist. With Vayntrub’s family being Jewish, there was a lot of religious persecution that shook up the world of the AT&T commercial girl.
#3 Political Refugee
Seeking to escape said persecution, Vayntrub’s family fled Uzbekistan when the future AT&T commercial girl was only two. Their destination was America, the famed land of freedom. Unfortunately, the process was a daunting and long one, with her family being stranded in Austria and Italy for a while. The good news is that, eventually, they broke through and made it to America, where they settled in West Hollywood.
#4 Education
Vayntrub spent her high school years at the Beverly Hills High School. Oh, those years in talk? There were only two of them. She decided to drop out after her sophomore year. Following this choice, she then got a GED and attended the University of California, San Diego from which she earned a degree in communication.
#5 Child Actress
Vayntrub wasn’t plucked out of the crowds to become the AT&T commercial girl for no reason. It’s likely that she had a lot of acting prowess from a young age, which is probably how she managed to land a role in the popular drama ER. The most impressive thing of all is that she was only eight years old at the time.
#6 Acting Career
ER wasn’t the only role Vayntrub can pride herself with. She also starred in Barbie commercials when she was younger! Nah, we’re joking. Well, she did indeed star in those commercials, but she also had parts to play in plenty other shows. The most prominent names include Lizzie McGuire, Days Of Our Lives, or Silicon Valley. In fact, just this year, she’s made an appearance in the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters as the “subway rat woman.”
#7 UCB Comedian
One of the things we love most about Lily, aside from her charm, is the fact that she has a completely lovable comedic timing. We can definitely “blame” this on Vayntrub’s training with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, a comedy troupe boasting alumni such as Amy Poehler or Matt Walsh.
#8 YouTube Ties
Vayntrub starred in commercials, in TV shows, in movies… and in YouTube videos! Alongside Stevie Nelson, she co-founded the YouTube channel known as Live Prude Girls. At the time, the series was a fairly decent success, having snuck its way among the 100 most popular YouTube channels several times. Unfortunately, the series hasn’t continued since and the channel is virtually dead. But the good news is that the videos are still there and we concur that it’s the best way to really get a grasp of who Vayntrub is.