Nicolas Cage once won $20,000 in 20 minutes of gambling, donated all his winnings to an orphanage, and never gambled again, the 56-year-old actor revealed in an interview with rocker Marilyn Manson that was published Tuesday in Interview.
"The last time I gambled was about 30 years ago," Cage revealed. "I was in The Bahamas, and I walked into a casino and felt like I had my mojo with me, like nothing could go wrong. My game was roulette. I went in with $200, and I didn’t miss a number, so much so that even the lady spinning the wheel said, 'Nothing sweeter than a repeater.'"
Cage recalled how, in 20 minutes, he managed to win $20,000 from $200, which he then decided to donate to an orphanage in The Bahamas. He met with the headmistress and the children and handed over the wad of cash.
"I put the 20 grand in her hand, walked away, and never gambled again, because if I did, it would ruin the power of that moment," he said.
During the interview, Cage also shared details of his experience in self-isolation. The Hollywood icon has been holed up alone at his home in Las Vegas and has had little contact with his girlfriend, Riko Shibata, 26.
"I have not seen Riko for six months," he said. "As soon as we got back from New York, she had to go to Japan, and now all Americans are banned indefinitely from flying to Japan. She can’t come here because then she can’t go back to Japan without being put in a government facility for weeks on end."
Cage only has his pets for company, but the actor is coping.
"I’m here with my cats and my crow and my occasional improvisational situation comedies that I do on voicemail, but that’s about it," he added.
The couple began dating weeks before the coronavirus pandemic hit, and nine months after Cage divorced his fourth wife Erika Koike, Daily Mail reported.
Cage filed for an annulment days after they wed in Las Vegas. There has been widespread speculation as to what may have prompted Cage's change of heart. However, TMZ reported that, according to the annulment documents, Cage and Koike were drunk when they decided to get married.
The Hollywood actor allegedly claimed to have acted on impulse without fully understanding the full impact of his actions.