Remember The Pepsi Girl? This Is What She Looks Like Now

PepsiCo is known for its iconic commercials and the slew of legendary talent that's featured in them. Cases in point: Ray Charles, Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford, Shakira, and even Kendall Jenner. (Never forget Jenner's controversial Pepsi ad that got pulled amid major backlash.) But back in the late '90s, it was child star Hallie Eisenberg who really stole the show in the global beverage corporation's commercials. Picture this: a pint-sized little girl with a head full of beautiful, bouncy curls and big brown eyes berating unsuspecting servers for swapping out her Pepsi order for another cola brand — and doing so in the voices of iconic A-list actors like Marlon Brando and Joe Pesci, famous for their portrayals of mob-like characters. What's not to love?! "I say the lines and they put the voices in later," Eisenberg told Backstage magazine about the process. "I love everything about acting. I like meeting so many people and I like just getting up there and doing it." Oh, the joy of Pepsi.

Fortunately for Pepsi, Eisenberg's love for the beverage was the real deal, too. When asked if she preferred Pepsi or Coke during a 2006 interview with Radio Free Entertainment, Eisenberg said, "I think I'm more used to Pepsi because of the commercials. And I do like it. But I'm not really allowed to drink that much soda. My family sticks more with juices and stuff. I can only have soda on like special occasions." Fair enough.

The child actor known as "The Pepsi Girl" is all grown up now. But don't just take our word for it. Let's take a peek, shall we?

In case you were wondering, Hallie Eisenberg still sports that gorgeous, thick mane of curls and her signature mega-watt smile. However, these days, the former child star is content with living an everyday life out of the spotlight. The story goes that in 2010, she hightailed it out of Hollywood to attend college at the American University School of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., per People. Then, in 2014, she graduated with a degree in International Studies. Ironically, in 2016, her then-boyfriend was the one dabbling in the entertainment world, appearing as a contestant on NBC's "The Voice," as reported by The Washington Post.

As you may recall, Pepsi commercials were just the tip of the iceberg for Hallie and her rising star. Eisenberg followed up her foray into the televised soda ads by snagging roles in several movies and television series, including the 1998 family comedy "Paulie," the 2000 biographical film "Miracle Worker," wherein she portrayed a young Helen Keller, and the 2006 children's comedy "How to Eat Fried Worms." During a 2000 appearance on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee," the child star told host Regis Philbin that she prepared for the role of Keller in "Miracle Worker" by learning sign language and visiting schools for the deaf and blind. While she admitted that visiting the schools felt "weird" at first, she recalled, "After a while, I saw that they were playing and everything, and it was it was really cool." But that's not all. Eisenberg also starred in the Broadway production "The Women" and even made a cameo in the Dave Matthews Band's "Everyday" music video.

Although Hallie Eisenberg's time in Hollywood was successful and lucrative, there were a few signs that being an actor wasn't her only goal in life. Ahead of the release of her final acting role for "How to Eat Fried Worms," Hallie got candid during an interview with Radio Free Entertainment about her hopes and dreams for the future. "I've been acting since I was 4 or 5, so it's really the only lifestyle that I know. So I'd love to be able to continue with that as I get older," she revealed. "But if I do have the opportunity to be a doctor, that's really what I want to do."

Fortunately, her parents were also very mindful of Hallie's wishes and always took her lead as it related to the acting. "This is great," her father, Barry Eisenberg, told Backstage magazine. "But Hallie knows if it's ever not fun anymore, if she feels forced to work, she can speak up and that's that," he explained.

While Hallie Eisenberg has firmly put her acting career in the rearview mirror, she is still somewhat plugged into Hollywood through her famous older brother, Jesse Eisenberg. Hallie's private Instagram account even includes a link to Jesse's the 2023 comedy drama film "When You Finish Saving the World," a project he wrote and directed. According to Jesse, she still offers him advice as it relates to the showbiz industry. In a November 2024 interview with the St. Louis Jewish Light discussing "A Real Pain" — a film, he wrote, directed, and starred in — Jesse recounted how she helped shape the project. 

Jesse was initially considering taking on the role of Benji, opposite of his character David, but it was Hallie who convinced him that "no other person on the planet" could do the role better than that of Kieran Culkin. Ultimately, it proved to be the right move. "There is no one who is funnier, wittier, sharper, more biting but also more loving than Kieran. He feels emotions at the drop of a hat. He's had a tough life and yet he's as sharp as hell and unsentimental about it," Jesse gushed.

The story goes that it was actually Jesse who kind of helped Hallie get her foot in showbiz in the first place, squarely placing her in the category of celeb nepotism babies who actually deserve the fame. "He was switching agents one day and I was a baby so I came along for the ride," Eisenberg revealed during an appearance on a talk show in 2000 (via People). "They asked my mom and I if they could send me out on things so we said 'Sure.'" And the rest is simply history!