Steven Spielberg said he still has the same enthusiasm for filmmaking he felt as a 12-year-old making 8 mm movies, speaking ahead of a Museum of Modern Art film benefit in New York.
The Story
Decades of success have not dulled Steven Spielberg’s appetite for filmmaking, as he told reporters he still feels the same excitement he had when he was a boy making 8 mm movies at home.
Ahead of the Museum of Modern Art’s film benefit on Thursday in New York, Spielberg said on the black carpet that his enthusiasm “has never gotten old,” adding: “I’ve gotten older, but that hasn’t gotten old.”
Spielberg said MoMA’s recognition matters to him, describing the museum as “one of the first museums ever to recognize film back in the mid-’30s as an art form,” not merely as a technological product.
The director, who has made more than 35 feature films and is known for a range of genres, reflected on how he approaches storytelling. He said he rarely seeks out a specific type of story, describing ideas that “sneak up on me from behind,” including his account that “E.T.” came “out of the blue one day.”
Spielberg also said he tries not to repeat himself, comparing his approach to a chameleon: “I’m a bit like a chameleon. I kind of take the shape of the environment that I’m standing in front of.”
The event included appearances by Robert De Niro, Michelle Williams, Drew Barrymore, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Martin Scorsese was also there, and Spielberg greeted him with an embrace when Scorsese arrived.
The evening featured a surprise appearance by Tom Cruise, along with a tribute that included Emily Blunt, Steve Martin and Scorsese. Ariana DeBose performed “Somewhere” from “West Side Story,” and Bruce Springsteen performed an acoustic version of “Dancing in the Dark.”
MoMA’s annual benefit raises funds for its film collection, supporting the preservation and acquisition of important works of cinema, as well as film exhibits at the museum. Chanel has sponsored the event since 2011.
In remarks at the event, Spielberg said: “Standing alone up here feels wrong. Filmmaking is collaborating,” adding that being singled out on a night like this reminds him “that I have never stood alone.”
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