Scorsese feted at MoMA by friends De Niro, DiCaprio, Hill

Many young boys grow up with superheroes adorning their walls. Jonah Hill grew up with a picture of Martin Scorsese on his.

The actor related the poignant anecdote at a star-studded benefit Monday evening at the Museum of Modern Art, honoring the celebrated director both for his contributions to both cinema and to film restoration and preservation.

"You might not even understand how often just the image of you creates young people who want to be filmmakers every single day," said Hill, who worked with Scorsese on "The Wolf of Wall Street" and just released his directorial debut, "Mid90s," last month.

Honoree Martin Scorsese, center, poses with actors Robert De Niro, left, and Leonardo DiCaprio at the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Hill added: "As far as I'm concerned that's the coolest thing in the entire world. Thank you for just existing, because I am only up here because you did what you did."

Also among the speakers at MoMA's annual film benefit, which raises funds to bring great works of film to the museum's collection, were Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, two of the actors most closely associated with Scorsese.

DiCaprio, who's appeared in five Scorsese films including "Shutter Island," ''The Departed," and "The Wolf of Wall Street," also went back to his youth to describe the influence Scorsese, 76, had on him.

Honoree Martin Scorsese, left, poses with actor Leonardo DiCaprio at the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

He told the audience how when he was just 15, and starting his journey as an actor, his father took him to a movie theater for inspiration.

"He pointed at the screen, and as the reels of 'Goodfellas' began to spin, he said, 'This is the epitome of modern filmmaking,'" DiCaprio recounted. "'This is someone who you may be lucky enough one day to work with, and when it comes to directors, Martin Scorsese is where the bar is set.'"

The actor added that from that moment, "I made it a goal, I made it a relentless ambition to work alongside the master we're celebrating here tonight." The pair is about to start on its sixth collaboration, the crime thriller "Killers of the Flower Moon."

MoMA chief curator of film Rajendra Roy attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

DiCaprio also spoke of Scorsese as a lifelong teacher, from his constant on-set references to film history to his efforts to restore and preserve old films with The Film Foundation, which he founded in 1990.

"No one on earth has so relentlessly pioneered the salvation of movie history with such commitment the way Martin Scorsese has," DiCaprio said.

De Niro, who's made nine feature films with Scorsese, including classics like "Taxi Driver," ''Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas," spoke of the director's many years of friendship.

Actress Chloe Sevigny attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

"Marty's gift for friendship is directly related to his many gifts for filmmaking," the actor said. The director has, he said, "a giant heart that understands and embraces every character he helps us create, and every story he tells."

De Niro also quipped to the crowd that Scorsese's first career ambition was to be a priest. "My theory was that he changed when he realized that being a priest meant serving God, but being a director meant BEING God," he said.

Hill told the story of how Scorsese had instructed an actor in "The Wolf of Wall Street" to punch him for real, because the fake punches were looking, well, fake.

Actress Emily Mortimer attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Hill noted that he had adopted that technique for "Mid90s," but Scorsese, when he came to the podium, jokingly admonished him. "I wouldn't advise that for young filmmakers," he said.

Actress Drew Barrymore attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actress Chloe Grace Moretz attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Honoree Martin Scorsese, left, poses with his wife Helen Morris and daughter Francesca Scorsese at the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Musician Gary Clark Jr. and wife Nicole Trunfio attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actress Sutton Foster attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actress Cristin Milioti attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actors Emily Mortimer, left, and husband Alessandro Nivola attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Singer Tony Bennett and wife Susan Benedetto attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actors Natasha Lyonne, left, and Chloe Sevigny attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actress Drew Barrymore attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actress Ellen Burstyn, left, and director Darren Aronofsky attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actor Robert De Niro attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Musician Gary Clark Jr. and wife Nicole Trunfio attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese attends the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute in his honor, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Filmmaker Spike Lee, right, and wife Tonya Lewis Lee attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Actor Harvey Keitel, left, and wife Daphna Kastner attend the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

Honoree Martin Scorsese, left, poses with his wife Helen Morris and daughter Francesca Scorsese at the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit tribute to Martin Scorsese, presented by Chanel, on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.

“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.

“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.

The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”

Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.

Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.

The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.

The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.

In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)