Film OG Robert De Niro kept it 100 during his commencement address to the 2015 graduates of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts on Friday (May 22).
With zero sugarcoating and a few jokes (he revealed how he wasn’t quite right for the role of Martin Luther King in Ava DuVernay’s Selma), De Niro schooled the sea of caps and gowns on the art of success: “You made it and you’re f-cked.”
While the blunt statement had attendees at the Madison Square Garden ceremony going H.A.M., De Niro further explained with a perfect description of a hustler’s ambition: “You discovered a talent, developed an ambition, and recognized your passion. “When you feel that you can’t fight it, you just go for it. When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense.”
The kicker: “Yeah you’re f-cked… The good news is, that’s not a bad place to start.”
See how De Niro handles the speech like a boss below.