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 in New York, honoring the celebrated director 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. “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 were Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, two of the actors most closely associated with Scorsese.

“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, spoke of the director’s many years of friendship.

“Marty’s gift for friendship is directly related to his many gifts for filmmaking,” the actor said.

— Associated Press