New York City benefit events tend to be stuffy and stiff, but Wednesday night’s dinner honoring Samuel L. Jackson was a true celebration among longtime friends and family. People from all chapters of the actor’s life showed up to support him at the 16th annual MoMA Film Benefit, presented by Chanel and hosted inside the famed modern-art museum. Jackson joins a list of esteemed filmmakers and actors who have previously been honored at the Chanel-sponsored event — which supports the maintenance and growth of the MoMA’s Department of Film — including George Clooney, Laura Dern, Martin Scorsese, Julianne Moore, and Tom Hanks.
The actor walked the red carpet with his wife of 44 years, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, alongside his friends and peers, including Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Walton Goggins, Sofia Coppola, Amanda Seyfried, Meghann Fahy, Natasha Lyonne, and Dianna Agron. Reflecting on his prolific 40-year career, Jackson told the Cut: “My goal has always been to entertain; to tell a great story and be a character that people can go home and talk about and laugh about and think about. I like popcorn movies. I’ve tried to do a lot of movies that I would’ve gone to see when I was a kid. I’ve been pretty successful at it.”
Following the red carpet and cocktail hour, guests were escorted up the stairs of the MoMA into a seated dinner. It opened with a video montage showcasing some of Jackson’s best work to date from films like Do the Right Thing (1989), Pulp Fiction (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), Changing Lanes (2002), and Django Unchained (2012). One particularly memorable scene from Pulp Fiction in which Jackson and co-star John Travolta are standing in a doorway, armed and wearing matching black suits, got a few hoots and hollers from the crowd, while a compilation of Jackson’s distinct laugh that’s featured in many of his films earned a big round of applause.
It was a reminder of his legacy; as the video played, whispers about the caliber and sheer quantity of films Jackson has starred in spread throughout the room. In fact, Hollywood executive and MoMA board member Michael Ovitz said in his opening speech that the Film Benefit selection committee had a hard time figuring out how many movies he’s actually been, because there are simply too many to count.
Next, Richardson Jackson took the stage in a white silk dress from the Chanel cruise 2022 collection to speak about her love and admiration for Jackson.
“We went to a Roberta Flack concert and I’m just telling you, I fell in love with him. I was like, ‘He is so tall and cute. He’s a cheerleader but he’s not gay. I think he has some good weed, and this might work out,’” Richardson Jackson — who admitted she doubted her now-husband’s acting ability when they first met — joked during her speech. “The next thing I know, we were doing a play [together] … and the rest was history. We were joined at the hip.”
Washington, Lee, Goggins, and Tony Award–winning Broadway and film director Kenny Leon also spoke during the dinner, sharing their favorite memories of Jackson over the years, gushing about not just his career but his character. The through-line was that he’s had a profound impact on the lives of each and every one of them — and that saying “motherfucker” at a formal gala is totally acceptable when Jackson (who has notoriously used the word hundreds of times onscreen) is the guest of honor.
“The first time I met you, I felt like I was meeting family. For a minute, I thought I was the only person you made feel that way. But the truth is, you make everyone feel that way,” Goggins said. “There’s a light about you, friend. There’s an energy about you that enters the room a full two minutes before you even walk in to it. You illuminate.” Leon put it best, calling the Academy Honorary Award winner “the greatest motherfucker to ever do it.”
Jackson, who’s latest film, The Piano Lesson, is an adaptation of the 1987 play by August Wilson, ended the night with an acceptance speech that touched on the importance of the MoMA Department of Film and his longtime love of storytelling.
“As we celebrate film tonight, just remember the power it has to change lives and inspire future generations that benefit from MoMA’s acquisition and preservation of films like the ones that ignited the dreams of a little Black kid sitting in a segregated Tennessee movie theater to be standing before you now,” he said. “Let’s continue to tell the stories that matter, stories that move us, and stories that unite us. Thank you all again for this honor. I can’t wait to see what comes next, because I’m going to keep creating.”