When people think about major opportunities in the acting world, commercials usually aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. The reality is that for most actors, commercials are nothing more than a starting point on the road to TV and/or film roles. However, there are some actors who have been able to sustain a good portion of their careers by booking commercials and Milana Vayntrub is one of them. Milana is best known for her role as Lily Adams in a long-running series of commercials for AT&T. Not only have these commercials gotten Milana lots of attention, but they have also put a good amount of money in her wallet. Keep reading to find out how much Milana Vayntrub makes from AT&T.
Milana’s Acting Journey
Milana was born in Uzbekistan prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. However, she relocated to the United States with her family when she was only two years old. The family settled in Hollywood and it did not take long for Milana to make her way into the entertainment industry. Her career began when she was just five years old and she was cast in a Barbie commercial. Although she genuinely developed an interest in acting, she got her start as a way to help her family make money.
She earned her first role in a TV series in 1995 when she appeared in a few episodes of ER. After appearing in three episodes of Days of Our Lives in 1996, Milana didn’t land another on-screen role for a few years. Since returning to the screen in the early 2000s, Milana has managed to work fairly consistently. Over the years she has appeared in several well-known shows including House of Lies and This Is Us. On top of her live-action work, Milana has also had some voice roles.
Milana’s Role as Lily
While her TV work is certainly impressive, her career changed significantly in 2013 when she was cast to start in AT&T commercials as a saleswoman named Lily Adams. Milana played the character from 2013 until 2016 before returning in 2020. When she reprised the role, she was originally supposed to do just one commercial. However, the character was so popular and the commercial was so successful that they decided to keep her own once again.
Over time, her role in the commercials has earned her the attention of countless people, and viewers look forward to her sense of humor and refreshing on-screen presence. One of the things that make’s Lily such a special character is the fact that she is humerous and entertaining.
Unfortunately, though, being in AT&T commercials has also come with downsides. Over the years, Milana has been on the receiving end of lots of harassment and even some threats. Although that has probably been very unsettling for Milana, didn’t hesitate to speak up. Lily said, “I wasn’t upset because people shared their opinions on my appearance, but I said something because just by showing up to do my job, I received unwanted sexual and violent comments about my body and what people want to do to it”. She added, “the idea that it is my job to avoid being harassed was surprising in every way, in the support and in the controversy.”
How Much Milana Earns from AT&T
Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about how much money Milana has been bringing in for her work in AT&T commercials. Some might be surprised at what Lily makes for her work, but that’s because she brings a lot of value to the company. Needless to say, they were willing to shell out some serious money in order to keep Milana happy. According to Looper, Milana has made about $3 million for playing Lily. That’s a lot of money period, but especially when you consider the fact that commercials require a much smaller time commitment than movies and TV shows. Thanks to all of the money she’s made, Milana has been able to donate to causes that are important to her. One of those causes has been helping Syrian refugees.
While we weren’t able to find any information on how long her tenure with AT&T will last, there’s nothing to suggest that she’ll be going anywhere any time soon. After all, her commercials have been a huge hit for the company and she has become a very recognizable part of the brand. If she continues down the path she’s on, she will eventually become to AT&T what Jake is to State Farm.
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