Ed Helms never went to Cornell University, but the character he famously portrayed on NBC's hit show "The Office," Andy Bernard, did.
According to the Huffington Post, Helms emphasized the importance of being a "fool." Unlike Andy Bernard, class of '93, Helms said hard work, not constant bragging about one's alma mater, gets you places.
"Only a fool would work hard with no clear objective," Helms said at Saturday's ceremony. "When you try hard at everything you do, even if it feels utterly foolish to do so, you're opening up future doors and possibilities that you might not be seeing in the moment."
Aside from the Office, Helms has made a name for himself in the comedy business for his roles in "the Daily Show," the "Hangover" movie series and "Arrested Development." However, it was the Andy Bernard character Helms' portrayed that got the comedic actor chosen by a group of students to speak at the school.
"Or did you actually invite a fictional person to give this speech? Because that would be very strange," Helms said. "That would be like the Naval Academy inviting Captain Crunch, or Notre Dame inviting a leprechaun or Rice University inviting Uncle Ben."
Helms began his education at Oberlin College as a geology major, but graduated with a bachelor's in film theory and technology. He spent a semester as an exchange student at New York University's Tisch School of Arts. Helms spoke at Knox College last year and was awarded with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
Helms called Andy Bernard a "conniving, obnoxious, desperate for attention," the Cornell Chronicle reported, but the actor identified with the character because he was a "glorious, vulnerable fool."
"I was actually just being arrogant and fearful, preoccupied with catastrophe," Helms said of accepting a role in "the Hangover" series. "What I really needed was to disengage my analytical mind and be foolishly in the moment, because the script in front of me was really funny. It made me laugh.
"And, it turned out OK."
