Can You Hear Me Now?

Paul Marcarelli became a recognizable face when, as the spokesperson for Verizon, he could be seen in commercials talking on his cell phone, asking, “Can you hear me now?”. Marcarelli averaged $6,000 per commercial and was bound by the contract not to speak about his job or take any other acting jobs. The job lasted twelve years, but he wasn’t sad to see it come to an end. At his grandmother’s funeral, a friend of the family whispered Marcarelli’s signature phrase. Neighborhood kids used to drive by his house in the middle of the night and yell, “Can you hear me now?”