There are hundreds of commercials featuring the sweet Lily Adams (Milana Vayntrub) hawking AT&T’s wares. But what you may not know about the AT&T commercial girl is that, despite initially being brought in to do one commercial, she was kept around for a very good reason.
As it turns out, Vayntrub’s excellent improvising abilities resulted in new Lily-centric storylines being crafted even before the first commercial was done shooting. “They were like ‘can you come back tomorrow to reshoot that storyline that we just came up with on the day?’ ” she recalled during a SAG-AFTRA panel, adding, “a lot of the commercials I do, do require improv.” The performer admitted that they still heavily improvise while shooting, and thanks to her training under the acclaimed Amy Poehler co-founded improv institution Upright Citizens Brigade, she knows how to apply it.
While playing Lily has had its negative side for Vayntrub — including unwarranted online sexual harassment that changed her forever and brought on feelings of violation — it’s been a steady gig that’s lined her pockets and made Vayntrub a recognizable commercial actor. But while her work as a phone and internet pitchwoman may be the actor’s bread and butter, she’s been seen and heard in other noteworthy productions over the years.
Milana Vayntrub has had a successful career outside of AT&T
Milana Vayntrub is more than just a sensible ponytail and a blue button-down; she is an activist, a voice actress, and a comedian with plenty of stand-up skills. In the live action world, she’s best known as Tina from “Other Space,” though she recurred as Sloane for eight episodes of “This is Us.” She’s had smaller parts in “Californication,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Key and Peele,” and even played an often-forgetten role on “Lizzie Maguire.” She’s managed to carve out a niche for herself on YouTube as well, writing episodes for “Dropout” and her own channel Live Prude Girls.
If her voice sounds familiar at all, it may be because she’s voiced a multitude of projects, from “Robot Chicken” to “God of War: Ragnarök.” But her most prominent voice role is as Marvel’s Squirrel Girl. These include the 2024 video game “Marvel Rivals,” the “Marvel Rising” shorts and 2018 television film “Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors,” and even a six-episode Squirrel Girl-centric podcast series. In addition, Vayntrub’s character was slated to make her live-action debut in Marvel’s “New Warriors” series before being canceled. A prolific artist and outspoken political activist who regularly raises money for charity on social media, never let it be said Milana Vayntrub is one to rest on her Lily laurels.