What happened to the guy from the Verizon commercial? (Paul Marcarelli)

What happened to the guy from the Verizon commercial?

How Paul Marcarelli went from “Can you hear me now?” to a whole new career and company

(By Javier Guerra)

It’s hard to forget the bespectacled man in the gray Verizon jacket, asking Americans across the country, “Can you hear me now?” From 2002 to 2011, Paul Marcarelli became one of the most recognizable faces on television, whether you liked it or not. The commercial series helped redefine Verizon’s brand—and made Marcarelli a household name.

For nearly a decade, he was the face of Verizon Wireless, filming dozens of ads in various locations, from mountains to bustling cities. His character, known simply as “Test Man,” wasn’t flashy, but that was the point. With his calm delivery and signature line, he stood out in a sea of loud, animated commercials.

“People always assume you get rich doing something like that,” Marcarelli once told The Atlantic. “But for a long time, I couldn’t get any other work, and I had to turn down a lot of the jobs I did want because of my contract.”

The irony of fame, in his case, was being extremely well-known—but not for himself.

Paul Marcarelli wasn’t just a random actor picked off the street. Born in North Haven, Connecticut, he earned a degree in English from Fairfield University and pursued a career in theater and independent film. He co-founded Mobius Group Productions and co-wrote several independent projects.

Before Verizon, Marcarelli did voice-over work and small acting gigs. However, the Verizon campaign brought both opportunity and limitation.

“The moment you become associated with a commercial character like that, you’re instantly typecast,” he said in a 2016 People interview. “I wasn’t just an actor anymore—I was that guy.”

Marcarelli is also openly gay and revealed that, at times, being in the spotlight with such a high-profile corporate job came with challenges. He told The Huffington Post in 2011 that he was heckled at a family funeral by someone shouting, “Can you hear me now?”—an event that shook him.

“It was a moment of clarity for me. I realized I had given a decade of my life to something that wasn’t fulfilling creatively,” he explained.

In 2011, Verizon decided to retire the “Test Man” campaign. It was the end of a nearly 10-year partnership. The decision wasn’t Marcarelli’s; it was corporate strategy. Verizon shifted its branding toward data plans, smartphones, and 4G LTE service—new messaging for a new digital age.

“Don’t feel bad for me,” he said at the time. “It was a great run. But everything has to change eventually.”

The departure came as a relief for Marcarelli. Despite the national recognition and financial benefits, he’d grown weary of the limitations. He began focusing more on writing and producing independent films, including The Green, a drama that premiered at Outfest in 2011 and was praised for its representation of LGBTQ+ themes.

He also launched a production company with his husband, Ryan Brown, and became increasingly interested in creating original content away from commercial constraints.

In a shocking twist that stunned the advertising world, Paul Marcarelli re-emerged in 2016—as the new spokesperson for Sprint, Verizon’s longtime rival. Not only was he back in commercials, but he leaned into his past persona.

“I used to ask if you could hear me now with Verizon. Not anymore,” Marcarelli said in the first Sprint commercial, directly referencing his previous role.

It was a bold, somewhat cheeky move that earned Sprint immediate attention. The campaign emphasized that Sprint’s network quality had improved to nearly match Verizon’s, but at a lower price. Having the “Verizon guy” say so felt like a mic-drop moment.

Marcarelli himself acknowledged the shock factor: “It was a little bit of corporate jiu-jitsu,” he told Adweek. “We knew people would recognize me, and we used that to shift perceptions.”

The campaign was part of a calculated strategy by then-Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, who said, “We wanted to make a bold statement. And who better to do it than someone everyone trusts?”

The public response to the switch was immediate—and mixed. Some praised the cleverness of using a former rival spokesman. Others saw it as betrayal or shameless opportunism.

“Marketing-wise, it was genius,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, an advertising executive who worked on campaigns for Aflac and Herbal Essences. “You take something familiar and flip the narrative. It forces consumers to question brand loyalty.”

Even Saturday Night Live took a jab at the campaign, portraying Marcarelli as a corporate sellout in one skit. But behind the jokes, there was real effectiveness. Sprint reported a spike in customer interest following the ads.

More importantly, Marcarelli found renewed creative satisfaction in doing work on his own terms.

“Working with Sprint, I was able to have more input,” he noted. “I wasn’t just a face—they treated me like a collaborator.”

After his return to the limelight, Marcarelli didn’t stop creating. He expanded his independent film work and continued writing scripts with his husband. One of their more personal projects, Clutter, premiered at Cinequest and starred Carol Kane and Natasha Lyonne.

“I’m most fulfilled when I’m telling stories that matter,” he told Variety. “There’s a whole world outside of commercials.”

In recent years, Marcarelli has shifted focus toward producing. He also occasionally appears at LGBTQ+ events and film festivals to speak on representation, branding, and creative identity.

“I don’t regret the Verizon years,” he said. “But I never wanted to be just one thing. Now, I’m not.”

He also co-founded a communications firm helping businesses build strong brand identities—using lessons learned from years in the trenches of major ad campaigns.

In retrospect, Paul Marcarelli’s career arc is about more than a commercial catchphrase. It’s a story of reinvention, resilience, and reclaiming agency. Not every commercial actor becomes a cultural footnote, but Marcarelli turned his typecasting into a pivot point.

“People thought I disappeared after Verizon,” he said. “In reality, I was just getting started—on my terms.”

While the “Can you hear me now?” line will always follow him, Marcarelli embraces it with grace. He understands the power of branding—but also the power of transformation.

In a media world that often chews up and spits out its icons, Paul Marcarelli found a way to evolve. From ubiquitous pitchman to independent filmmaker, from brand definer to brand re-definer—he’s still being heard, loud and clear.

Acting Magazine Newsletters

Never miss out on the best from Acting Magazine.

Sign me up for the newsletter!