Most know Milana Vayntrub as the AT&T girl, Lily.
But the actress is much more than her role in those widely popular commercials.
Here's how Milana Vayntrub has transformed over the years.
To look at Milana Vayntrub, it's pretty obvious that the actor is stunning.
But what you might not know is that she wasn't born in the United States.
In fact, her family had a difficult time trying to get to America when she was just a baby.
Vayntrub was actually born in the Soviet Union — in Uzbekistan, to be exact - and came
to the United States as a refugee when she was just a toddler.
"L.A. has probably a pretty substantial Uzbek population."
Vayntrub has been open about her family's struggle to come to America and how grateful
she is that they did.
In an interview with Elite Daily, Vanyntrub had this to say:
"Once here, my parents worked their butts off to give me a good education and upbringing
[...] They did a great job."
Additionally, Vayntrub has expressed her gratitude to her mother for taking care of her and immigrating
to a new country, writing on Instagram,
"Hey Ma!
Thanks for lugging my chubby cheeks to America."
Obviously, you know Vayntrub from her flawless work in the AT&T commercials, but her acting
skills extend far beyond the reaches of those advertisements.
In fact, Vayntrub started appearing in commercials when she was still a young child and has been
acting ever since.
Of course, Vayntrub isn't quite like the other child stars of the early '90s, as she didn't
have a recurring role on a popular show like Full House or shoot to stardom from her childhood acting.
Still, considering she was new to the United States as a little girl, her roles back then
are remarkable.
According to her IMDb page, Vayntrub's first official role was in 1995 when she played
Tatiana on three episodes of ER.
Vanytrub was only 8-years-old at the time of her TV debut on the popular medical drama.
Milana Vayntrub might not be a household name, but that isn't to say that the actor hasn't
been working hard in the industry for most of her life.
Vayntrub actually made a reputation for herself when she was young for appearing in dramatic
shows, even though she considers herself more of a comedic actor.
Just a year after Vayntrub's acting career officially took off with her part in ER, she
landed another role without even trying.
In 1996, Vayntrub appeared in three episodes of Days of Our
Lives as a young Kristen Blake.
When asked about her time on the show, Vayntrub told Esquire,
"I actually don't have tons of memories from it.
I played someone in a flashback version.
I ended up not auditioning for that.
They just called me after they saw me on [ER] to do that."
Though Vayntrub had a pretty successful career for someone so young, it wasn't all that easy
for her to get where she is today.
For the most part, after her roles in ER and Days of our Lives, Vayntrub actually only
appeared in a few projects — mostly shorts here and there.
And there's a reason why it seems like she practically disappeared from Hollywood for
a while: She did.
As Vayntrub explained to Esquire, she just needed a little break from acting:
"I stopped around middle school and high school because I remember thinking, 'I should probably
focus on something more realistic."
But obviously, Vayntrub would find her way back to acting eventually, though it took a few years.
Vayntrub told Esquire:
"I went to UC San Diego and I didn't really like the school or anything."
Vayntrub went on to explain that she ended up enjoying the school's theater program,
which, of course, led her back to acting.
Vayntrub first got her start as AT&T girl Lily Adams in 2013.
In case you were wondering just how Vayntrub feels about filming AT&T commercials, she's
basically had an overall positive experience.
Still, Vayntrub was pretty honest about how making the commercials wasn't exactly like
creating a Sundance film, and the way she described it certainly sounds efficient.
In an interview with PopSugar, Vayntrub said filming the commercials went by pretty quickly.
She also didn't have to memorize many lines.
Vayntrub told PopSugar:
"The AT&T spots were one page of dialogue a day, and often, [the] camera didn't have
to move too much on the AT&T spot, so we kind of had a day of just shooting new 30-second
spots in every different iteration."
Just like Vayntrub's career extends far beyond her role as the AT&T girl, so do her passions.
Not only is Vayntrub talented and funny, but she also has a big heart and cares about helping people.
As a refugee, herself, it's no wonder that Vayntrub is passionate about the Syrian refugee crisis.
That said, once she learned about the true extent of the crisis, she did what she could to help.
In an interview with Elite Daily, Vayntrub explained that after seeing the crisis for
herself on a visit to Greece, she decided to take action.
"Because the country is not only experiencing a huge financial turmoil, but also a giant
influx of refugees that they can't support."
Vayntrub told Elite Daily,
"I just felt like I couldn't not do something — 'can't do nothing' so summarizes how it felt for me.
Even if it's just me being there, just me hugging people or changing diapers — I could
do that and maybe it would make a difference in the world."
Riding the high of her new, easily-recognizable role in the AT&T commercials, it seems that
Vayntrub was able to book more and more roles.
Fortunately for Vayntrub, being the AT&T girl didn't typecast her, as she soon was able
to work on an exciting project.
In 2017, Vayntrub landed a role in the series That Moment When, an interactive show from
the streaming website Eko.
And, in an interview with PopSugar, Vayntrub explained that the series was loads of fun to film:
"Most of it is scripted, and then we improvise on top [...] There's always a script — and
it was always stellar and totally carried itself."
Milana Vayntrub may be best known as the AT&T girl.
However, her resume is filled with various other impressive projects she's worked on,
such as a recurring role on a certain hit TV series.
From 2016 to 2017, Vayntrub starred in eight episodes of the beloved NBC drama This Is Us.
She played Sloane Sandburg, a playwright and love interest for the series' main character Kevin Pearson.
Obviously, This Is Us is a popular series, so Vayntrub's role on the show probably made her pretty proud.
At this point, it's pretty obvious that Milana Vayntrub can't be pigeonholed.
The talented actor can apparently go from sweet AT&T salesperson to complex love interest
to animated comic book character.
In 2018 and 2019, Vayntrub starred as Squirrel Girl in the miniseries Marvel Rising: Initiation,
along with the two TV movies Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors and Marvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts.
For comic book fans, Vayntrub's portrayal of Squirrel Girl was a perfect fit, something
the actor herself even noticed.
During an interview at 2019's WonderCon, Vanytrub had this to say:
"I'm very like Squirrel Girl, truly.
In fact, when I read her –- when I read the comics before any of this, I felt like
she talks like I talk.
And, so, as a voice actor, I don't have to do too much to make her more like myself."
This is yet another example of how acting has come so naturally to Vayntrub — even
something as difficult as voice acting, since you can't use facial expressions to get your point across.
Milana Vayntrub is obviously gorgeous, but she is so much more than just a pretty face.
And that's something she wants to make very clear.
Because of comments people online made about Vayntrub's body in the AT&T commercials, she
took to Instagram Live to explain how the hurtful words affected her mental health.
As Deadline reported, Vayntrub didn't back down when it came to the comments made about
her body, and, for her, even positive comments were troubling to hear.
Vayntrub said in the video:
"But all of these comments [...] it hurts my feelings.
I'm hurting and it's bringing up, like, a lot of feelings of sexual assault."
Vayntrub isn't afraid to stick up for herself, and as sad as it is that she needed to at
all, it's great that she put those trolls in their place.
Though more known as an actress, Milana Vayntrub does a lot more than just act.
According to her IMDb page, she's also written, produced, and directed.
In fact, she's even directed commercials for AT&T.
Clearly, Vayntrub is a woman of many talents.
And Vayntrub isn't afraid to brag about those skills.
Taking to Twitter, she let her followers know why a certain directorial decision was made
in the AT&T commercials.
Vayntrub wrote on Twitter,
"Been getting a lot of 'why are they placing her body like that in those ads?'
Well, I direct the ads.
I place myself like that.
And it's because of the thousands of unwelcome comments I receive about my body.
You've lost the privilege of looking at it until I feel safe again."
Honestly, good for Milana Vayntrub for continuing to stand up for herself and for directing
her own commercials.
If that's not impressive, then what is?
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