Samuel L. Jackson was honored at the Museum of Modern Art’s 2024 Film Benefit, presented by Chanel, on Wednesday, as a star-studded group of friends and collaborators paid tribute to the actor.
Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Walton Goggins, Kenny Leon, wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson and MoMA’s chief curator of film Rajendra Roy were all in attendance at the event, with Brie Larson and George Lucas sending video messages of support.
Lucas noted how Jackson is “not always like the parts he plays; he’s much more of a sweet, honest, good, helpful, loving guy.” Lee looked back at their early days together in Atlanta, recalling even in college thinking of Jackson and his friends, “I know that God willing, if I became a filmmaker, these great artists would be in my films.”
Jackson, who this year appeared in Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist and the upcoming The Piano Lesson, then took the stage inside MoMA to accept his award, joking, “I’ve got a whole speech and not one ‘motherfucker’ in it.”
After thanking his wife and friends, the star told the crowd, “I’ve always believed that cinema has been and continues to be a powerful medium. It transcends language, shifts societal paradigms and pushes us as audiences and artists to see the world from the perspectives of others. I’ve been fortunate enough to portray a wide array of characters where I’ve learned something new about the human experience from each and every one. And I always carry a piece of them with me as I continue on.”
“As we celebrate film tonight, let’s remember the power it has to change lives and inspire future generations that benefit,” Jackson continued, remembering how movies inspired him as a kid, sitting in a segregated movie theater in Tennessee. “Let’s continue to tell the stories that matter, stories that move us, stories that unite us… I can’t wait to see what comes next because I’m going to keep creating.”
Sofia Coppola, Amanda Seyfried, Meghann Fahy, Danielle Deadwyler, Natasha Lyonne, LL Cool J, Dianna Agron, Nicole Ari Parker, Andrew Rannells, Emily Mortimer, Phoebe Tonkin, Simon Kinberg, David Alan Grier, Malcolm Washington and Molly Ringwald were also among the guests at the event. TEMS closed out the evening with a performance.
Chanel has been a sponsor of The Museum of Modern Art’s annual Film Benefit since 2011 and has served as the lead sponsor of film at MoMA since 2021. Jackson joins previous MoMA Film Benefit honorees including Guillermo del Toro, Penélope Cruz, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Martin Scorsese, Julianne Moore, Tom Hanks, Cate Blanchett, Alfonso Cuarón, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodóvar, Kathryn Bigelow, Tim Burton and Baz Luhrmann.