Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette are both Oscar-winning actors, but did you know that they were also married for six years? Their relationship is one of the weirdest and most fascinating stories in Hollywood history. Here is how they met, fell in love, and eventually parted ways.
The Quest Begins
According to InStyle, Cage and Arquette first met in the late 1980s at Canter’s deli in Los Angeles, where they both told the 19-year-old actress that they were going to marry her. Cage, who was five years older, asked Arquette to give him a list of impossible things to find and bring her as a proof of his love. Arquette played along and gave him a list that included J.D. Salinger’s autograph, a black orchid, a Lisu tribe wedding costume, and a Bob’s Big Boy statue.
Cage was determined to complete the quest and started to track down the items. He showed up at Arquette’s home with a purple orchid and a can of black spray paint. He also bought a rare letter written by Salinger for $2,500 and left it in a cigar box outside her door. He even had a chainsaw ready to steal a Bob’s Big Boy statue for her. However, Arquette was freaked out by his behavior and told him to stop. She later said that it scared her and that she wanted to slow things down.
The Reunion
Cage and Arquette went their separate ways and started their own families. Cage had a son, Weston, with his then-girlfriend Christina Fulton, and Arquette had a son, Enzo, with her then-boyfriend Paul Rossi. They both pursued their acting careers and achieved critical acclaim and fame.
In a twist of fate, they ran into each other again at the same deli in March 1995. Arquette said that she needed to be reassured that the depth of his love would be as brave as before. Cage apparently passed the test and they decided to get married two weeks later in Carmel, California. The only witnesses to their nuptials were Carmel’s former police chief and a pod of sea otters.
The End
Their marriage was not as smooth as they hoped. They separated after nine months and filed for divorce in 2000. They cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. They remained friends and even co-starred in the 1999 film Bringing Out the Dead, directed by Martin Scorsese.
Cage and Arquette have both moved on with their lives. Cage has been married four more times, most recently to Riko Shibata in 2021. He has another son, Kal-El, with his third wife Alice Kim. Arquette has been married once more, to actor Thomas Jane, with whom she had a daughter, Harlow. They divorced in 2011. She has been dating painter Eric White since 2014.
Conclusion
Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette are not related by blood, but by a strange and whimsical romance that spanned over a decade. Their story is a testament to the power of love, fate, and quest. They may not have lasted as a couple, but they have left a lasting impression on the world of cinema and pop culture.