At the beginning of September, Nicolas Cage (62) woke up to a shocking situation: his $10.5 million mansion located in the Lechuza Beach area, right on the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, had a massive sinkhole 7.5 meters deep in front of the former garage of the house due to the aftermath of Hurricane Marie. Undoubtedly, the intense rains, strong winds, and coastal erosion were decisive in the break of a main gas line that caused significant damage.
After obtaining emergency permits from the Malibu City Council, the Oscar-winning actor began structural repairs and stabilization of the road, although to date there is no defined timeline for when the work will be completed.
During his recent appearance at the Los Angeles Comic Con on Halloween, Cage stated that "I am currently a bit homeless. Something happened to my house, so I am living in hotels." He also expressed regret, indirectly referring to his young daughter August, 4, from his fifth marriage to Riko Shibata, saying, "tonight there won't be any kids coming to ask me for candy, as I would like. I will take my daughter to trick-or-treat somewhere in Santa Monica, but I am going to watch a movie directed by someone nominated for Worst Director at the Razzie Awards: The Shining," referencing Halloween night and the classic trick-or-treat tradition.
Despite his statements and the fact that he lost a significant part of his fortune a few years ago, Cage still owns valuable properties that ensure him a luxurious roof. For example, in March of this year, he acquired a apartment of just over 220 square meters in the iconic Essex House on Central Park South in Manhattan for ¤5.8 million. He has also owned a 370-square-meter house in Las Vegas for five years, which cost ¤2.5 million.
In his glory days, one of the Hollywood star's great hobbies was investing in quirky houses and strange objects, such as the haunted mansion LaLauri in New Orleans that belonged to the murderer Delphine LaLaur, the gothic castle of Midford in Bath (England), the castle of Neidstein in Bavaria (Germany), and the skull of a tyrannosaurus rex.
His prosperous era ended in 2009 when his fortune of about ¤135 million turned into red numbers due to the real estate crisis, enormous expenses on frivolous things, and high taxes owed to the IRS in the United States. Currently, after having taken on jobs that have not brought him much fame and prestige, he has managed to eliminate his debts and now has a fortune valued at around ¤27 million.
In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, the actor stated, "It's no secret that I have made mistakes in my past that I have tried to correct. I made financial mistakes when the real estate bubble happened, in which I basically lost everything I earned over the years. But what I wasn't going to do was declare bankruptcy. I have my pride, which is both good and bad, and I wanted to dig myself out by working."
To date, Cage has upcoming releases for a World War II spy film titled Fortitude and another apocalyptic film, Parish.