Sean Astin and His Daughter Talk Her Future Aspirations After Harvard Masters Graduation (Exclusive)

"Ali is an original, and the sky is the limit with her future,” Sean told PEOPLE

Sean Astin is one proud dad.

The iconic Goonies and Lord of the Rings star and his daughter Ali shared with PEOPLE her plans for the future after she graduated from Harvard University on Friday with her master’s degree in dramatic arts and anthropology.

“I’m excited for Ali to keep creating. Her PhD Research is so important, not just for professional artists but for our entire species,” Astin, 52, explained to PEOPLE about his daughter’s thesis project.

“She is charting an academic path to understanding the nature of human emotion in drama,” he noted. “Who knows where that will go?”

The Rudy actor further explained, “Ali also has a day job working in her family’s industry, which is actually bringing us opportunities to collaborate. Selfishly, I’m beyond excited that she has asked me to direct her in a film this summer that she wrote.”

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“Maybe we’ll be able to test some of her thesis ideas. Ali is an original, and the sky is the limit with her future,” he added.

Ali, 26, shared with PEOPLE what her dad’s support has meant to her as she pursued her degree.

“My dad has the biggest heart of anyone I know. And nowhere was that more evident than at this graduation — he stood, literally, on his tip toes for five hours in Harvard yard, just taking it all in!” she said.

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The graduate also opened up about her upcoming film and working with her father: “The adventure I’m most excited for post-graduation (besides my PhD work, which, actually, I’ve been working on for the past six months) is the movie my dad and I are working on together: Playing with Fire.”

“Dad’s always been my cheerleader behind the scenes, running lines with me, giving me notes… so being directed by him, having him bring my screenplay to life, working side by side — there’s a lot to look forward to after graduation,” she explained.

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Ali even gave her dad a touching tribute in the dedication of her thesis.

“To my father, for teaching me how cathartic and entertaining it can be to embrace absurd emotion," she wrote. "He is at fault for the weirdness I inflict upon the world, and for that, I’m truly grateful.”

“Let no mistakes be made in this reality — I am who I am because of my family, and without their support, none of my work could be possible,” Ali added.

The day of the ceremony, Sean shared a sweet photo of smiling with his oldest outside in Harvard Yard on Twitter.

He wrote, “Today, my eldest Ali graduated with a Masters Degree in Dramatic Arts (& Anthropology) from Harvard University, where she also did her undergrad work.”

“She won the Deans Prize for Outstanding Thesis in the Humanities attached here for your reading enjoyment,” he noted, referencing the link to her academic paper.

“She has the receipts & she blows my mind,” Sean added along with the hashtag #ProudestFatherEver and tagging his daughter that he loves her.

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