Skip to main content

Here's the speech Steven Spielberg gave Harvard University's graduating class

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg Speech | Harvard Commencement 2016
One of Hollywood’s most accomplished filmmakers dropped by one of America’s most prestigious schools last week to speak to its current class of graduates, and his speech is — like everything he’s created — something well worth watching.

Steven Spielberg provided the commencement speech for Harvard University’s graduating class on May 26, and just as one might expect, he offered up more than a few movie analogies in a sentimental, personal speech about the value of keeping the past in mind while moving ahead into the future.

“What you choose to do next is what we call in the movies ‘the character-defining moment,'” said Spielberg. “Now, these moments you’re very familiar with, like in the last Star Wars, The Force Awakens, when Rey realizes the Force is with her, or Indiana Jones choosing mission over fear by jumping into a pile of snakes. In a two-hour movie, you get a handful of character-defining moments, but in real life, you face them every day; life is one long string of character-defining moments.”

A 16-time Academy Award nominee and three-time winner, Spielberg himself dropped out of college when he was offered a job at Universal Studios after previously serving as an unpaid intern for the studio. He returned to California State University many years later in order to complete his degree.

Spielberg’s speech at the school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is well worth watching for all movie fans, and also touches on topics including social media, history, and the importance of looking beyond your comfort zone in all your creative endeavors.

“Up until the 1980s, most of my movies were what you could call ‘escapist.’ I don’t dismiss any of these movies, not even 1941,” said Spielberg. “Not even that one. Many of these early films reflected the values I cared deeply about, and I still do, but I was in a celluloid bubble because I cut my education short. My worldview was limited to what I could dream up in my head, not what the world could teach me.”

“But then I directed The Color Purple — and this one film opened my eyes to experiences that I never could have imagined, and yet were all too real. This story was filled with deep pain and deeper truths, like when Shug Avery says, ‘Everything wants to be loved.’ My gut, which was my intuition, told me more people needed to meet these characters and experience these truths. While making that film, I realized a movie could also be a mission. I hope all of you find that sense of mission.”

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
2023 Oscar nominations: Here’s the list of nominees
Michelle Yeoh performs kung fu in a scene from Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Because 2022 was a great year for movies, Digital Trends is a little bit more enthusiastic about the forthcoming Academy Awards. From blockbuster hits like Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of the Water to smaller independent movies like The Banshees of Inisherin and Aftersun, this year's ceremony is sure to have something for everyone.

This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced the nominations for the 95th edition of the Oscars. If you want to find out if one of your favorites made the cut for Best Picture, Best Actor, or any of the 23 categories, we have all the nominees listed below.
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front

Read more
The 10 best Steven Spielberg movies, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes
A T-Rex at the climax of Jurassic Park.

Steven Spielberg is an undisputed master of cinema. He has directed many movies throughout his life, and while he has had failures with some of them (we're looking at you, Always), many of his films are now considered to be some of the greatest of all time.

With a filmography including sci-fi blockbusters, serious historical dramas, and globe-trotting adventures, Spielberg made his mark on multiple genres and showed his skills as a diverse storyteller. Spielberg has now directed 36 feature-length films, with the autobiographical The Fabelmans the latest in a long line of hits. The movies below have been ranked the best of the filmmaker's illustrious career.
10. Bridge of Spies (2015) - 91%

Read more
Henry Thomas on E.T. turning 40, Steven Spielberg, and that notorious Atari video game
Elliot stares at E.T. in "E.T."

If you're a horror fan, chances are you've seen Henry Thomas a lot in the last few years. The veteran actor has starred in a multitude of projects by writer/director Mike Flanagan, including The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and most recently, The Midnight Club.

Yet the greater public still remembers him as young Elliot, the boy who befriended an alien and made Reese's Pieces a popular candy to consume. In celebration of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial turning 40 years old this year, Thomas sat down with Digital Trends to talk about the film's lasting legacy, working with Steven Spielberg, giving one of the best auditions of all time, and whether or not he played the notoriously awful E.T. video game by Atari.

Read more