From Daily Mail

• Robert De Niro spoke at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts’ commencement on Friday 
• He said that those graduating with nursing, dentistry and medicine degrees would all have jobs, but Tisch graduates followed their passion
• Tisch graduates include aspiring writers, actors, directors and dancers 
• He told graduates that they have to keep working and that they will face a ‘lifetime of rejection’
• De Niro, a native New Yorker, dropped out of high school to pursue acting 

Two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro congratulated graduates as he spoke at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts commencement on Friday: ‘You made it. And, you’re ***ed.

De Niro spoke of how those graduating in nursing, dentistry, medicine and teaching would all likely have jobs.

But he told the audience that Tisch graduates, which include aspiring actors, dancers, directors, writers and more, have trusted passion rather than stability.

‘You discovered a talent, developed an ambition and recognized your passion,’ he said. ‘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.’

‘You aren’t just following dreams, you’re reaching for your destiny,’ De Niro, who quit high school to pursue a career in acting, added.

His words of encouragement were met repeatedly with loud applause.

‘Yeah you’re f*****,’ he said. ‘The good news is that that’s not a bad place to start. Now that you’ve made your choice, or rather succumbed to it, your path is clear. It’s not easy, but clear. You have to keep working; it’s that simple.’

He warned the arts graduates that they’re ‘opening a door to a lifetime of rejection’, but that’s ‘inevitable’.