Actor Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar and House fame spoke to graduates of DePauw Sunday with both humor and sage wisdom.
He apologized to the parents in the audience, explaining he was not CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
He also surmised that many of the graduates were hung over based on what he saw walking through campus the night before. “I’m specifically speaking to row 12,” he said.
But Penn didn’t go all Kumar on the graduates.
He gave them some sound advice about what to expect after leaving campus.
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“Continue to read books, encourage the arts, talk with people who disagree with you, do crazy things, be selfless, share moments of love, remember what matters, do not make it rain,” he said.
He recalls being bitter being relegated to go-fer jobs as he tried to make a career in Hollywood, but he says now “I realize I learned a lot. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a waste of time, I just had the wrong attitude.”
Penn even warned them about some of the content they see on TV.
“Contrary to what TV sells us, fame is not a profession. Be careful not to confuse fame and status and money with actual things that actually matter — like happiness and humanity and kindness.”
You can watch his entire address in the clip below.