Steven Spielberg Believes Empathy Is Our ‘Only Real Superpower’

As rain poured down on Manhattan Thursday night, so did the tributes to Steven Spielberg. The veteran director was honored at this year’s MoMA Film Benefit, presented by Chanel, with homages from fellow icons of cinema and collaborators including Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, and Ariana DeBose. To top off the night, Spielberg (and the crowd) was treated to a surprise acoustic performance by Bruce Springsteen.

Honoring Spielberg’s contributions to film feels like a no-brainer, given the dozens of masterpieces he has delivered in his decades-long career, spanning Jaws, E.T., the Indiana Jones franchise, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and many more, all the way up to Disclosure Day, which was just released this summer. Reflecting on his latest, Spielberg said in his speech, “It’s less about aliens and more about empathy. Empathy is the only real superpower that humanity possesses. It’s the only form of magic, I think, that exists in the world.”

And while he accepted the honor solo, the director said he shares the recognition with the hundreds of people in his casts and crews, including those who work at craft services. He also took a moment to thank his wife.

“When you honor me, you are also honoring my wife, Kate Capshaw, because the stuff I put in each of my films is from the stuff of life, real life, that Kate and I have created with family, friends, and conversation, and being aware that there’s more to living than just what we do for a living,” he said. “The confidence she’s given me every day for the past 43 years, I would not be the same person, or the same filmmaker, without her central to my very human existence.”

The program included opening remarks from Cruise, who starred in Minority Report and War of the Worlds, followed by a speech from Scorsese, who reflected on his decades of friendship with Spielberg. “Listen, we’ve known each other since 1972—how did we get to be in our eighties? What happened?” he joked. DeBose, who starred in Spielberg’s West Side Story remake and won an Oscar, performed “Somewhere” from the legendary musical.

Blunt, who starred in Disclosure Day, revealed that the back of Spielberg’s director’s chair is labeled with “Dad.” “‘Dad’ still has this childlike enthusiasm, this spontaneity,” she said. And when he’s “happy with a take, you’ll see him, he’ll just come running out of the tent with his fists in the air, and he’s cheering, and it’s like the best damn moment of your career,” she added. Spielberg later returned the praise, saying Blunt “could play any role—including James Bond.”

Steve Martin and Martin Short alternated zippy one-liners while introducing the guest of honor (they even joked about how many awards they shared among them). And Stephen Colbert helped introduce the grand finale, Bruce Springsteen, who sang “Dancing in the Dark” on his guitar. Before jumping into song, The Boss took a moment to say a few words about Spielberg too, recalling the summer when Jaws first came out when he was living on the Jersey Shore. There used to be a tradition called night swimming, where people would swim in the ocean nude, often with someone they were interested in. But ever since Jaws, “Steven Spielberg fucked that up. He fucked it up good,” Springsteen said, to a room of laughter.

Other attendees included Drew Barrymore, Cate Blanchett, Robert De Niro, Jeff Goldblum, Riley Keough, John Krasinski, Donna Langley, Spike Lee, Lorne Michaels, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zoe Saldaña, Francesca Scorsese, Christopher Walken, and Michelle Williams. Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney made a low-key appearance.

Flip through the gallery below for an inside look at the celebration.