Whatever Happened to the Pepsi Girl?
Once upon a time in the late '90s, Pepsi launched what would become an iconic ad campaign starring the "Pepsi Girl," played by a then-unknown, curly-haired young actress by the name of Hallie Eisenberg.
Each commercial featured the 6-year-old ponying up to an old-fashioned bar, always hand-in-hand with her grandpa, to order an ice-cold Pepsi. Inevitably, the bartender would inform the youngster he only carries Coke — at which point the adorable tot would channel her inner Joe Pesci or Don Corelone, demanding she be given the soda pop she asked for.
In another famous TV spot, she delivered a hilariously inspiring speech to her veteran grandpa, nicknamed Sarge, about fighting for the freedom to choose before leading the entire restaurant in a walk-out to a "far better place" that just so happens to serve her soda of choice.
Understandably, the Pepsi Girl commercials became as iconic and classic to the Pepsi brand as their various celebrity-studded (Britney, Michael, Madonna, anyone?) TV spots, but where is the Pepsi Girl now that she's all grown up? Read on to find out!
A (Child) Star Is Born
Following her famous stint endorsing Pepsi, Hallie parlayed her fame into a career as a big-screen child actor. In 1998, she made her feature film debut in the kids movie Paulie. She played Marie Alweather, the owner of the film's titular disobedient talking parrot, alongside the likes of Tony Shaloub, Cheech Marin, Gena Rowlands and Jay Mohr.
She followed her star turn in Paulie with roles in 1999's The Insider and Bicentennial Man, as well as 2000's Beautiful (opposite Minnie Driver). She also portrayed Helen Keller in the 2000 Disney TV biopic The Miracle Worker.
Throughout the 2000s, Hallie made appearances in movies including the 2004 remake of 1977's The Goodbye Girl and 2006's How to Eat Friend Worms, as well as on TV shows such as Get Real and Presidio Med. Her final film credit was a minor role in 2010's Holy Rollers.
Talent Runs in the Family
If Hallie's last name rings a few bells, it might be because she's not even the most famous actor in the family. While Hallie may have gotten her start first thanks to her Pepsi gig, her elder brother is Academy Award-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg.
A quick perusal of Hallie's Instagram makes it clear that she and her brother are close — whether she's hyping up his latest film roles or sharing snapshots of their brother-sister travels to China, Japan and the Kentucky Derby, the sibling pair clearly share a special bond that extends far beyond their similar career paths.
And the duo have even shared the screen together! Remember Hallie's bit part in Holy Rollers? Well, that independent crime caper starred Jesse as a young Hasidic Jewish man drawn into the world of drug trafficking in the 1990s. Ironically, the film came out the same year the actor was showered with critical praise and Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG nominations for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.
Saying Goodbye to Show Business
While her brother's career skyrocketed at the start of the 2010s, a then-18-year-old Hallie decided to step away from acting to go to college after more than a decade in Hollywood. She went on to study International Studies at Washington D.C.'s American University, according to her now-defunct student profile.
With a little more sleuthing, we managed to discover that she began working as a writer's assistant at Brooklyn, NY's Steiner Studios in 2019. However, it looks like she's since transitioned into the music industry, working as a licensing assistant for RCA Records.
Though she's not starring on our TV or movie theater screens anymore, it seems Hallie, now 29 years old, hasn't strayed too far from the entertainment industry after all!