LOS ANGELES: Nicolas Cage has embraced a new look, debuting fully gray hair and a matching beard at a weekend event in Los Angeles.
The 62-year-old Oscar-winning actor arrived at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night with his wife, Riko Shibata, 31, showcasing a dramatic departure from the dark brown hair he has sported for much of his career. Cage wore a blue tuxedo jacket with satin lapels, a slightly unbuttoned white shirt, black trousers and sunglasses. Shibata, an actress, wore an all-cream ensemble and held his hand as photographers took pictures.
The couple attended the celebration of George Lucas's 11-acre campus, which features galleries, theaters and restaurants. Lewis Hamilton co-chaired the event, with Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry among the guests.
Cage has sported a range of hairstyles over the years, from thick, unkempt hair in the 1980s to long tresses in the 1990s and a balding ginger wig for the 2002 comedy-drama "Adaptation." He dyed his hair cherry-red in 2022, shocking fans. His natural hair is dark brown, and he has colored it in recent years after going gray.
There has long been speculation that Cage had a hair transplant, as fans and experts believed his hair looked denser in his 50s than in his 40s. It also has been reported that expensive custom lace-front wigs and hair pieces were used on sets and for public outings to manage thinning and receding temples. Cage has never commented on the transplant rumors.
Cage met Shibata in 2019 through mutual friends in Japan while he filmed "Prisoners of the Ghostland" (2021). She had a small role in the film as a "mannequin woman." Cage has said he knew a romance "could work out" upon learning she had two sugar gliders.
"We met in Japan, and I thought she was stunning when I met her. We had a lot in common," Cage told Entertainment Tonight in 2021. "She likes animals, too. So, I asked her, 'Do you have any pets?' And she said, 'Yes, I have flying squirrels.' She had two sugar gliders. I thought, 'That's it. This, this could work out.'"
Cage confirmed he married Shibata in Las Vegas in 2021. The ceremony was held Feb. 16 at the Wynn Hotel — a date chosen to honor Shibata's late father's birthday — and was "very small and intimate," Cage told People.
The couple makes regular public appearances, documenting the "Face/Off" actor's evolving appearance over time. Cage has spoken about aging and how his lifestyle has changed, though he has not addressed the hair transplant rumors.
