Robert De Niro has warned arts graduates they're "f***ed".

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro

The 'American Hustle' star was speaking at the graduation ceremony for New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Class of 2015 when he made the hilarious comment.

He joked: "Tisch graduates, you made it ... and you're f***ed. A new door is opening for you, a door to a lifetime of rejection. It's inevitable. How do you cope with it? I hear that Valium and Vicodin work."

Robert - who did not attend university himself - then went on to praise the graduates for recognising and following their "passion".

He added: "You discovered a talent, developed an ambition and recognised your passion. When you feel that you can't fight it, you just go with it.

"When it comes to the arts passion should always trump common sense. You weren't just following dreams; you were reaching for your destiny."

Whilst the frank comments earned laughter from the majority of the attendees, others were less impressed with the joke.

A parent of one of the graduates told the New York Daily News: "You don't really want to use the F-bomb in front of thousands of people. That's just my take."


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