Tom Cruise stepped into the spotlight after a montage of Steven Spielberg’s films at New York’s Museum of Modern Art on November 12. A museum representative confirmed to Vanity Fair that Spielberg had not been told the actor would attend.
Bruce Springsteen brought a different kind of tribute, blaming Jaws for spoiling naked night swims on the Jersey Shore. His complaint about the shark thriller drew laughter from the audience.
The 18th annual Film Benefit, presented by Chanel, supports MoMA’s film acquisitions, preservation and exhibitions. Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore and Jeff Goldblum were among the guests gathered to celebrate the director’s career.
Spielberg, 79, turns 80 on December 18 and told USA TODAY that he considered the evening an early birthday gift. His wife, Kate Capshaw, joined him for the celebration.
Cruise Recalls Working Jobs to Buy Movie Tickets
Tom Cruise praises Steven Spielberg’s “invisible wonder” during a surprise appearance at the 2026 MoMA Film Benefit, where Spielberg is being honored:
“I’m very grateful for the moments we’ve shared personally. Since I was a young man, you were always very generous with me … It’s been an absolute privilege to make two films with you.”
— Variety (@Variety) November 13, 2026
Cruise remembered taking jobs as a young man so he could afford to see Spielberg’s movies. He and his family waited hours to watch Jaws when it opened in June 1975, an experience that stayed with him as he built his own film career.
Cruise recalled spending hours at Spielberg’s home, sharing meals with the director and Capshaw and discussing his films. Their conversations explored what had inspired the stories that eventually reached the screen.
Their professional collaborations included Minority Report in 2002 and War of the Worlds in 2005. After his speech, Cruise jumped down from the stage and made his way to Spielberg for a long embrace, according to Vogue.
Springsteen’s Jaws Joke Extends to Spielberg’s Yacht
Bruce Springsteen says Steven Spielberg “f-ed up” naked late-night swims on the Jersey Shore after releasing “Jaws” in 1975:
“One of the great pleasures on the Jersey Shore in 1975 was night swimming, preferably naked with someone you wanted to have sex with.
Steven Spielberg f-ed that up. He f-ed it up good. Over the years, I asked myself, ‘Why would a nice man like that- why would he do that?’”
Springsteen honored Spielberg at the 2026 MoMA Benefit.
— Variety (@Variety) November 13, 2026
Stephen Colbert introduced Springsteen as the evening’s final surprise guest. The musician recalled being 25 when he saw the movie in a small theater directly across from the Atlantic Ocean.
Springsteen also teased Spielberg about vacations aboard his yacht, the Seven Seas. He joked that he had never seen the director enter either the ocean or the pool on board.
After expressing his affection for Spielberg and Capshaw, Springsteen performed an acoustic rendition of “Dancing in the Dark.” Dessert was being served as he began the song, bringing the dinner program to a musical close.
Blunt’s ‘Dad’ Story and Martin’s Wardrobe Joke
Emily Blunt described Spielberg’s excitement on the set of Disclosure Day, his 2026 science fiction film. She said his director’s chair carries the label “Dad” and recalled him rushing out of his tent, cheering with his fists raised, whenever he was particularly happy with a take, according to ELLE.
Steve Martin and Martin Short took aim at Spielberg’s wardrobe while introducing him. A slideshow flashed a photograph of the director wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt, prompting Martin to declare, “It just screams Chanel,” W Magazine reported.
Ariana DeBose performed “Somewhere” from West Side Story, returning to the musical whose 2021 adaptation earned her an Oscar for playing Anita. Martin Scorsese reflected on Spielberg’s influence on filmmaking and their friendship, which dates to 1972, before joking about how quickly they had reached their eighties.
Spielberg Thanks Collaborators and Revisits His MoMA Beginnings
Spielberg told The Associated Press that his enthusiasm for filmmaking remains as strong as when he made little Westerns at home with an eight-millimeter camera at age 12. He described following ideas that capture his imagination, rather than approaching each project with a predetermined genre in mind.
Accepting the honor, he emphasized the people who had helped realize those ideas. “Standing alone up here feels wrong. Filmmaking is collaborating,” he said. He thanked his colleagues and credited Capshaw with teaching him the value of a life beyond work.
The museum’s connection to Spielberg began with its screening of The Sugarland Express in the 1974 New Directors/New Films program. Returning for this recognition 52 years later, he had a question for his hosts: “Why did you wait so long to invite me back?”
