The video, curated by entrepreneur‑coach Evan Carmichael, presents a collage of Robert De Niro’s remarks from a Tisch School of the Arts commencement speech, interview excerpts, and related commentary. De Niro shares ten informal "rules" for success, emphasizing that you cannot please everyone, you must listen to many voices but ultimately decide for yourself, and that passion should trump common‑sense career logic. He discusses the value of outside inspiration, the importance of trusting one’s instincts when choosing scripts, and the need to seize entrepreneurial opportunities (e.g., his early involvement with Nobu). He recounts his long‑standing desire to direct, urging artists to act before it’s too late. The video also includes a humorous anecdote from Eddie Murphy about an audition with De Niro, illustrating the actor’s supportive yet candid demeanor. Throughout, the narrator frames each point as a numbered rule, encourages viewers to reflect on which rule impacts them most, and invites comments for future entrepreneur profiles.
Chapters
Because it's important to listen to everyone, as many people as you can, and get their input.
Tisch graduates, you made it. And you're fucked.
You can't please everybody all the time, or even part of the time. I just try my— I try to do my best at doing the right thing, if you will. Not always.
If you don't go, you'll never know.
You have to have the— Sometimes you need that from an outside source in order to stimulate you. And get you inspired almost, or revved up about doing something different.
He's an American actor and producer who has starred in over 100 films. He earned an Academy Award for portraying Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. His business ventures include co-founding the film studio Tribeca Productions, as well as the Tribeca Film Festival. He's Robert De Niro, and here is my take on his top 10 rules for success. Rule number 3 is my personal favorite, and make sure to stick around all the way to the end for some special bonus clips.
—And I, I mean, personally, I always try to listen because I might be not— and maybe I'm not getting something. I always try and take everybody's— because it's important to listen to everyone, as many people as you can, and get their input. But then finally you have to make your own decision about what you're gonna do, and that's it.
That's what you feel, and that's it.
And that, that's the most important thing.
I think the most important thing, because that's where the uniqueness comes in, because it's you, you've done it, it's your thing, it's not anybody else's, it's your choice. And when young actors come to you looking for advice, what do you tell them? I tell them just to keep at it and not be, uh, you know, discouraged by— if you're going for, say, readings and stuff like that, you have to try your— always try your best and not really just Follow your instincts more than so you can be free and easy about it, as opposed to assume that you're not going to get it. So you have more of a devil-may-care attitude about it. I think that helps a lot.
Thank you for inviting me to celebrate with you today. Tisch graduates, you made it. And you're fucked. Think about that. The graduates from the College of Nursing, they all have jobs. The graduates from the College of Dentistry, fully employed. The Leonard N. Stern School of Business graduates, they're covered. The School of Medicine graduates, each one will get a job. The proud graduates of the NY School of Law, They're covered. And if they're not, who cares? They're lawyers. The English majors are not a factor. They'll be home writing their novels. Teachers? They'll all be working. Shitty jobs, lousy pay, yeah, but still working. The graduates in accounting? They all have jobs. Where does that leave you? Envious of those accountants? I doubt it. They had a choice. Maybe they were passionate about accounting, but I think it's more likely that they used reason and logic and common sense to reach for a career that could give them the expectation of success and stability. Reason, logic, common sense. Common sense at the Tisch School of Arts? Are you kidding me? But you didn't have that choice, did you? You discovered a talent, developed an ambition, and recognized 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 aren't just following dreams, you're reaching for your destiny. You're a dancer, a singer, a choreographer, a musician, a filmmaker, a writer, a photographer, a director, a producer, an actor, an artist. Yeah, you're fucked. 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. Not easy, but clear. You have to keep working. It's that simple.
How did you get into entrepreneurship? Was it something that when you were young you got inspired about it? Or— because I know your father was an artist and your mother as well. Yeah, I don't know.
I think, uh, I mean, I've always been wanting to act or direct, uh, and, um, but then these opportunities came along and I, I felt let's just take advantage of them, like Nobu When I saw Nobu, I went to Nobu years ago, over 20 years ago, 25 years ago, and I said, if you ever want to open— I went to Matsuhisa, his first restaurant. I said, if you ever want to open a restaurant— I was there one time, I said, and then I went many times after— but I said, if you ever want to open a restaurant in New York, just let me know, you know, because it was, to me, it was a no-brainer. And he set the bar for a crazy father-in-law. Alongside Ben Stiller and the Focker clan. All right, now look, Focker, I'm a patient man. That's what 19 months in a Vietnamese prison camp will do to you. But I will be watching you, studying your every move. While they were a commercial success, some critics lamented that they were trivial roles beneath an actor of his stature. That's fine, they can criticize whatever, and they could be right. I want to do those things. You can't please everybody all the time, or even part of the time. Are you a good picker of scripts and things, or do you get somebody else to help you pick them? Well, you get people to help you in terms of getting feedback. I have people like my agent or people who work with me. They will read it and read a script and tell me if they think it's good. And because I'm so busy, I don't have time to read everything that comes along. And sometimes it's just something that I can see in a script that maybe no one else can, and I follow my own instincts about it.
Why at this stage did you decide to direct a picture? Was it because the particular subject matter, or because you had a yearning to direct?
Well, I always wanted to direct. A movie since I was in my late teens, early 20s, and I just never got around to it. I finally started realizing as I was getting older, by, you know, my early 40s, that I better really do it. It's either now or I'm never gonna do it.
What is the one thing that you want people to think or to know about you?
I don't know, whatever. I mean, you know, I try my best. You don't give a damn.
You don't give a damn about what I care, but I don't know about this, you know.
I just try my— I try to do my best at doing the right thing, if you will. Not always, but so I hope I'm perceived as that or appreciated for that.
It's difficult for me to come up with advice for you who have already set upon your life's work, but I can tell you some of the things I tell my own children. First, whatever you do, don't go to Tisch School of the Arts. Get an accounting degree instead. Then I contradict myself, and as corny as it sounds, I tell them don't be afraid to fail. I urge them to take chances, to keep an open mind, to welcome new experiences and new ideas. I tell them that if you don't go, you'll never know.
You have to have the—
just have to be bold and go out there and take your chances.
What I like is if somebody says, I never thought of you for this type of part, but then I But then I thought, yeah, you would be good for it just for that very reason. And it would spark something in me that makes it different. You know, you and I were even talking a little bit about that, mentioning some things that sometimes you need that from an outside source in order to stimulate you and get you inspired almost, or revved up about doing something different.
Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Jurgen 803 asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, Leave it in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I'd also love to know which of Robert De Niro's top 10 rules had the biggest impact on you and why. Leave it in the comments and I will join in the discussion. Thank you so much for watching. Continue to believe and I'll see you soon. Do you remember the audition when you first met De Niro?
That was, yeah, I mean, that was one of those incredible auditions that came around that I suppose every kid had been waiting for for a long period of time because it's just not that often that you get a starring role above Robert De Niro in this incredible, you know, screenplay. And it was, you know, Ellen Barkin and Michael Caden Jones. And it was just everyone was sort of fiending for this role. And I got down, I suppose, to the final 5. And there was like a last sort of day. Tobey was there. And I, I do remember thinking to myself, I gotta do something. I gotta do something to stand out. And in the audition, it was Art Linson, Michael Caden Jones— Art Linson was the producer— and De Niro. And I remember there was a mustard jar scene, and he had to jam a mustard jar in my eye repeatedly. It was an abuse scene, and the script sort of didn't call for it, but I I got up and I— he said, "Now, is it empty? Is it empty?" And I got up and I screamed, "No!" Like completely unnecessary, but I screamed in his face. And I sat there with my head looking like a red tomato. And everyone started laughing at me in the entire room. De Niro, everybody was in hysterics. And I sat there frozen thinking, "Oh my God, I just screwed this entire opportunity up." And I just sat there frozen. And then, you know, Bob, in traditional De Niro fashion, kind of just looked at me and went, "It's good, it's good, it's good." And then, you know, we carried on doing the scene. And I think I actually had dinner with De Niro recently, and he told me, "No, I was the one who said you should get the job." I'm standing here.
You make the move. You make the move. It's your move. I'm tired, you fuck.
You talking to me?
You talking to me? You talking to me? Then who the hell else are you talking to? Talking to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah? Huh? Okay. Listen, you fricking, you screwheads. Here is a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filth, the shit. Here is someone who stood up. Here is—
