The Stunning Transformation Of The Pepsi Girl Hallie Eisenberg

The lead-up to the 21st century was a memorable time for so many reasons. New technology was emerging, pop and grunge music were all the rage, and the television commercials that played at all hours became ingrained in the culture. Pepsi was a perfect example of creating commercials that made a lasting impression, and before Britney Spears started appearing in the soda ads, there was another girl who was synonymous with the brand. The world was taken by storm when child actor Hallie Eisenberg showed up in the soda commercials and quickly became known as "The Pepsi Girl." America fell in love with the adorable little tot who had a sweet smile and voluminous curly hair.    

Hallie Kate Eisenberg was born in 1992 and raised in a suburb of New Jersey. The youngest of three, her older sister and brother were both performers and are still active in the arts to this day. Her father was a professor who had experience in healthcare and her mother was an actress who worked as a professional clown! It's no wonder that Eisenberg was a natural on-screen. 

In a few short years, Eisenberg had gone from first-time actor to a recognizable icon. She continued to act as a growing teen, but stopped acting by the age of eighteen to focus on her education. She's barely been seen since then and prefers to live a quiet lifestyle. Now in her 30s, it's unbelievable to see how much the cute commercial star has changed.    

In the '80s, Pepsi relied on big name stars to appear in its commercials. In 1999, they went with a young new face: the face of six-year-old Hallie Eisenberg. She became known around the country as simply "The Pepsi Girl" and continued her role into the early 2000s. The premise of the commercials was irresistible: a cute curly-haired girl with a big smile and dimples asks for a Pepsi, and if she's denied, her voice drops into a no-nonsense mob-style boss who won't take no for an answer. Later iterations of the commercials saw big-eyed Eisenberg starring alongside Aretha Franklin and Halle Berry.

It turns out Eisenberg's participation in the memorable Pepsi campaign started as an accident. She revealed during an interview back in 2000 that her brother was pursuing acting and when he found representation, the agency noticed his adorable little sister. "They asked my mom and I if they could send me out on things so we said 'Sure,'" the youngster recalled (via People.) The commercials played so frequently, they cemented little Eisenberg into a pop culture phenomenon!

Around the same time Hallie Eisenberg made her unmistakable mark on TV with her Pepsi commercials, she was also acting in larger projects. Eisenberg made her movie debut as the star of the 1998 movie "Paulie" where audiences loved seeing her cute smile and recognizable major volume of her curly hair on the big screen. She continued to appear in films like "Bicentennial Man" and "Beautiful" and also starred in a number of made-for-television movies, including the 2000 remake of "The Miracle Worker," where Eisenberg portrayed Helen Keller. She even worked on Broadway in 2001, playing the part of Little Mary in "The Women.
 

Eisenberg later appeared in the 2006 adaptation of "How to Eat Fried Worms" and the 2008 teen film "Wild Child." In a 2006 interview with Radio Free Entertainment, Eisenberg said that she does not typically watch herself in movies. "But on the occasion that I do watch them, I always look back and have memories of the people who worked on it, or special times that we had while filming it," she revealed. "And that's really nice to have the memories." Her final acting appearance was in the 2010 movie "Holy Rollers."

Since officially becoming an adult, Hallie Eisenberg appears to have given up acting entirely. In 2010, the same year as her final acting credit, she graduated from high school and went off to college. According to People, Eisenberg attended the American University School of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. She graduated in 2014 with a degree in international studies. Eisenberg has chosen to stay out of the spotlight and rarely makes public appearances. Although during the few times she has been seen, she still sports and maintains her Carrie Bradshaw-esque iconic curls. 

In addition to her career, Eisenberg has continued to keep her personal life out of the public eye. The only update on her life that has been revealed was back in 2016 when news broke that she was dating a contestant on "The Voice" named Owen Danoff. Since then, her social media accounts have all been changed to private. But she may be living life as a married woman as the name in her Instagram bio reads Hallie Eisenberg-Sarker.

While Hallie Eisenberg has retired from acting, the performing urge is still strong in her family. She has at times stepped behind the scenes to support the successful movie career of her brother Jesse Eisenberg. Jesse has starred in a number of blockbusters, including "The Social Network" for which he was nominated for an Oscar, and popular franchises including "Now You See Me" and "Zombieland."

Hallie was listed as an assistant on the 2019 film "The Art of Self Defense" in which Jesse starred. She also posted photos on social media of being on set of 2024's "A Real Pain," which was written and directed by Jesse. In fact, when Jesse was creating the film, it was Hallie who suggested casting "Succession" star Kieran Culkin. Culkin went on to win a variety of awards for this role, including an Oscar, and even mentioned Hallie in his acceptance speech at the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards.