Michael J. Fox explains why 'Parkinson's has been a gift' at National Board of Review gala

NEW YORK – Entertainment icons Martin Scorsese, Patti Smith and Daniel Day-Lewis were among the A-listers stepping out at Cipriani 42^nd Street for the National Board of Review gala.

But the biggest star in the room Thursday night might have been Michael J. Fox, who earned a rare standing ovation at the nearly five-hour event for "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie," which took home the award for best documentary.

"I was telling Michael, the last time I was here was for 'An Inconvenient Truth' in 2006," Davis Guggenheim, the film's director, said on stage.

"And the last time I was here was my daughters' bat mitzvahs," Fox cracked, drawing huge laughs from the crowd.

Michael J. Fox says Parkinson's diagnosis 'opened my eyes' in unexpected ways

Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 at age 29, recalled the documentary's simple origins.

"Davis called me two or three years ago, and said he read one of my books and he wanted what I have," said Fox, now 62. ("I was talking about your money!" Guggenheim joked.)

Together, they sat down for a series of interviews: "talking about life, what we want, what we have, what we lost, what we’re going to lose and what we gain by losing it," Fox said. "Parkinson's has been a gift; it's been a gift that keeps on taking. But it's been a gift, because it's given me an audience to talk about what's possible."

The "Back to the Future" star, who broke out in NBC's "Family Ties" in the 1980s, went on to thank his wife, Tracy Pollan, and their four children for their generosity. He delightfully ribbed Guggenheim, saying he "tricked me into saying" stuff that he otherwise wouldn't reveal. The actor also recalled his "cautionary tale" of coming to Hollywood: dropping out of high school and moving to Los Angeles, where he lived in a one-room apartment as he auditioned for jobs.

"I wanted to be in the movies," Fox said. "And somehow this happened. The strange thing is, this happened and then Parkinson's happened. And in a way, Parkinson's is much more valuable and much more important. It just opened my eyes in ways I didn't expect."

Bradley Cooper, Da'Vine Joy Randolph become fast friends at NBR awards dinner

Later in the show, Bradley Cooper used his time at the podium to fete Fox. The "Maestro" director was honored with the NBR Icon Award.

"I remember as a kid, there was Tom Cruise and Michael J. Fox," Cooper said. "I loved 'Risky Business' and I loved 'Top Gun,' but 'The Secret of My Success' and 'Doc Hollywood,' those were the movies I watched all the time. There was something about what he did where I felt like he was my friend."

Cooper, 49, also shouted out "The Holdovers" star Da’Vine Joy Randolph, whom he met earlier in the night: "That was a big thing for me. I got to tell her how inspiring she is, and that's really what it's all about: friendship."

Randolph, 37, continued to sweep awards season, winning yet another prize for best supporting actress.

"Did y'all just catch that Bradley Cooper knows who I am now?" Randolph said in her acceptance speech. "Bradley, my agents now have strict instructions to contact your team. Y'all heard it, this happened! So if you see in Deadline in two weeks that we're in a show together, it happened here!"

Daniel Day-Lewis, Martin Scorsese tease 'one more' movie together

That spirit of camaraderie pervaded the event, where Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Andrew Scott huddled for a chat during cocktail hour, while Lily Gladstone and Ethan Hawke enjoyed a long conversation just as the sirloin main course arrived. Onstage, Gladstone expressed her disbelief to be seated in between Smith and Day-Lewis, and Mark Ruffalo teared up during an emotional introduction by longtime friend Laura Linney.

Day-Lewis, 66, was on hand to present Martin Scorsese, 81, with best director for "Killers of the Flower Moon." "I was a teenager when I discovered Martin's work," Day-Lewis said. "I'm grateful to the National Board of Review for so justly recognizing the supreme, inimitable artistry of this mighty man. To every person that works in the crucible of the imagination, he's a living treasure."

The pair collaborated on 1993's "The Age of Innocence" and 2002's "Gangs of New York," although the filmmaker teased that another movie isn't out of the question.

"We did two films together and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life," Scorsese said. "Maybe there's time for one more."

The full list of National Board of Review winners:

• Best film: "Killers of the Flower Moon"

• Best director: Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"

• Best actor: Paul Giamatti, "The Holdovers"

• Best actress: Lily Gladstone, "Killers of the Flower Moon"

• Best supporting actor: Mark Ruffalo, "Poor Things"

• Best supporting actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"

• Best original screenplay: David Hemingson, "The Holdovers"

• Best adapted screenplay: Tony McNamara, "Poor Things"

• Best directorial debut: Celine Song, "Past Lives"

• Breakthrough performance: Teyana Taylor, "A Thousand and One"

• Best animated feature: "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"

• Best international film: "Anatomy of a Fall"

• Best documentary: "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie"

• Best ensemble: "The Iron Claw"

• NBR Icon Award: Bradley Cooper

• Outstanding achievement in cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto, "Barbie" and "Killers of the Flower Moon"

• Outstanding achievement in stunt artistry: Director Chad Stahelski and stunt coordinators Stephen Dunlevy and Scott Rogers, "John Wick: Chapter 4"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael J. Fox, Daniel Day-Lewis step out at National Board of Review