Actor Nicolas Cage turns 60 today — and he stepped onto the red carpet at the 81st Golden Globes in a suit fit for his larger-than-life personality — and, perhaps, an Elvis impersonator.
"Second most epic birthday of my life," he said during a red carpet interview, his gold embroidered black tuxedo shimmering in the afternoon sun. "I'm just looking at this whole thing as my surrealist birthday party." What about his first most epic birthday? Well, that was left to our imaginations.
Cage's fancy and flashy threads were reminiscent of Elvis's rockabilly style — which we would be hard-pressed to label a coincidence. The "Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" actor is known to be a huge Elvis fan. He owns an extensive collection of Elvis merchandise and even married the singer's daughter, the late Lisa Marie Pressley, in 2002. The couple filed for divorce less than four months later.
"Oftentimes when you have two people who are very strong and their own personalities, and rather intense, sometimes you can have a hard time meshing," he said at the time. "We got into this unfortunate pattern of breaking up and getting back together again."
Cage combined his maximalist approach to acting and his love of Elvis in the 1992 rom-com "Honeymoon in Vegas." One scene sees Cage donning Evlis's iconic American Eagle suit and sky-diving alongside a troupe of Elvis impersonators — an eccentric last-ditch effort to win back the heart of Betsy (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Gilbert Flores/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images
Tonight, Cage is in the running for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for his role in "Dream Scenario." In the film, he plays a mild-mannered biology professor who suddenly and inexplicably begins to appear in the dreams of people all around the world.
As he celebrates his 60th trip around the sun, Cage said last year that he was contemplating retirement from acting and would likely only make "three or four" more films.
"I thought, 'OK, my dad died at 75, I'm going to be turning 60. If I'm lucky, I have maybe a good 15 years and hopefully more," he said. "What do I want to do with those 15 years, using my father as the model? It occurred very clearly to me that I want to spend time with my family."
What can we expect out of those handful of remaining Nic Cage flicks? Maybe a musical.
"I have not done a musical," he said on the red carpet when asked if there was any genre his 43-year career hadn't touched. "I do think I could make a good Pontius Pilate in 'Jesus Christ Superstar.'"
You heard him, Hollywood writers. Get the man a script - stat.
