NEW YORK – Tom Cruise opened the evening, Bruce Springsteen closed it, and in between, Steve Martin and Martin Short cracked a few jokes.
It was the kind of star power you'd expect for a tribute to one of Hollywood's most beloved filmmakers. On Thursday Nov. 12, the Museum of Modern Art held its annual film benefit, which honored Steven Spielberg. The Oscar-winning director was treated to a surprise at the start of the program. Cruise, who worked with Spielberg on 2002's "Minority Report" and 2005's "War of the Worlds," was a surprise guest when he took the stage and kicked off the night with praise for the director.
"I'm very grateful for the moments we've shared personally," Cruise, 64, told Spielberg, thanking him for both their time on movie
sets and at the director's home, sharing meals with Spielberg's wife Kate Capshaw. "You were gracious enough to listen to my stories about the jobs that I took so that I could buy the tickets to go see your movies."
Cruise recalled one of those stories on stage, as he and his family waited "hours and hours" to see "Jaws" when it hit theaters in June 1975.
"I was quite privileged to be able to have that opportunity to see it that day and to have been in audiences to experience those moments in cinema, those moments that you created for us," he continued.
Cruise and Spielberg haven't collaborated in over two decades but neither is showing any signs of down. Spielberg told USA TODAY that he's still as motivated as ever to make movies.
"I have no idea what keeps me going, but I don't have brakes," Spielberg, 79, said. "I have a clutch I rarely use. I don't have good brakes, and if I found my brakes, I would never want to apply them because I just have too much fun doing this job."
Steve Martin, Martin Short joke about Trump, Spielberg at gala
MoMA's film benefit and tribute to Spielberg also included remarks from Martin Scorsese, "Disclosure Day" actress Emily Blunt and museum director Christophe Cherix. Before dinner, Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose performed "Somewhere" from "West Side Story." And the evening concluded with "The Boss:" Bruce Springsteen told a funny story about how "Jaws" ruined night swimming for him before he played an acoustic version of "Dancing in the Dark." Fellow New Jersey native and former "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert introduced Springsteen.
Other celebrities that were spotted mingling during the event included Oscar winners Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, Robert De Niro, Zoe Saldana and Christopher Walken along with "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels, actress Michelle Pfeiffer and "Jurrasic Park" star Jeff Goldblum.
"Thank you, you changed my life," Goldblum, 74, said in response to a question about what he'd tell Spielberg at the event. "And I'm deeply lucky for having ever met you."
Chanel, which has sponsored the annual film benefit since 2011 and became the lead sponsor of film at MoMA in 2021, also dressed Spielberg for the gala. The director, who turns 80 on Dec. 18, joked to USA TODAY that he considered the tribute "a pre-birthday gift."
If that's the case, then Steve Martin and Martin Short came to the party with the present of laughter. The longtime comedic collaborators brought the house down with a five-and-a-half minute set of jokes that poked fun at themselves, Spielberg and President Donald Trump.
"When I think of 'The Color Purple,' I think of a true Spielberg classic," Martin said, a reference the 1985 film.
"Well that is so interesting, because when I think of the color purple, I think of Trump's face when he's climbing a flight of stairs," Short quipped.
"I can still remember the magic when I saw my very first Steven Spielberg film," Short continued. "I came out of the theater thinking, 'This man has a gift.' And I knew then that my life had just changed."
When Martin asked what movie he was referring to, Short replied with 2026's "Disclosure Day."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Cruise honors Steven Spielberg in surprise MoMA appearance
