Nicolas Cage Says He's 'a Little Bit Homeless' Two Months After a Sinkhole Opened at His Malibu House

Nicolas Cage says he is living in hotels after a sinkhole opened beside his Malibu home in September. "I'm currently a little bit homeless," the Oscar winner told a panel at Los Angeles Comic Con on Halloween, according to Variety. "Something happened to my house in Malibu, so I'm just sort of living in hotels."

What happened in September

Los Angeles County fire and sheriff's crews responded to the sinkhole on the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive at about 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 8, the Los Angeles Times reported. Real estate records show the oceanfront property is owned by Cage, the Times said. By that evening the hole was roughly 25 feet deep and 30 by 60 feet across.

The city of Malibu declared a local emergency and ordered 31 homes evacuated in the gated community next to Lechuza Beach, the Times reported. Seven homes were red-tagged because of hazardous conditions, and 24 more because safe vehicle access had been lost. The Southern California Gas Company shut off service to address a gas leak, and Waterworks District 29 shut off water to prevent main breaks.

"Emergency personnel access is severely constrained and may be impassable, due to the large portion of the road that has collapsed," the city wrote in its emergency declaration. "The intact portion of the roadway is too narrow to accommodate emergency response vehicles, including fire engines and other large apparatus."

Of the 31 homes, 29 were vacated and two families chose to stay, the sheriff told local station KBUU, according to Malibu.FM. Eight houses had been red-tagged by then. A Red Cross evacuation center opened at the Malibu High School gym; no one used it.

Overnight, crews pumped dozens of truckloads of cement under the hole in the road and the row of beachfront houses to try to stabilize the eroding bluff, Malibu.FM reported. Assistant Community Development Director Tyler Eaton told the city Planning Commission that most of the evacuations were "only due because of access issues."

The cause

Officials have not determined how the sinkhole formed, Variety reported, though it was likely tied to the unusually strong Hurricane Marie, which brought large waves and flooding to Southern California's coast in early September. The Times reported that authorities warned high tides and rain from the storm could worsen conditions.

City Manager Joseph Irvin told the Times, "I don't think this is a single, isolated event for Malibu. We're seeing this kind of coastal erosion impact happening up and down the Southern California coastal region. With the high tides, El Niño-type weather and sea level rise, this is something that is going to keep happening." The city's emergency declaration warned that "a strengthening 'super' El Niño brings a high risk of record sea levels, severe coastal flooding, and dramatic beach narrowing to the California coast this winter."

Who pays

The homeowners association controls the private road and began seeking city permits within hours, the Times reported. Irvin said costs to the city had been minimal, with homeowners paying most of the expenses, and estimated construction at about four weeks. The road, East Sea Level Drive, is the only way in and out for the seven houses on the sand and the houses on the uphill side, Malibu.FM reported.

Cage, in his own words

Cage stayed positive at the Comic Con panel, Variety reported. "I don't have normal trick-or-treaters that I would like to enjoy tonight," he said. "I'll take my daughter out trick-or-treating somewhere in Santa Monica, but I am going to watch a movie where the director was actually nominated for worst director at the Razzies — called 'The Shining.' He directed the hell out of that movie."

What's next for him

Cage is set to star in Season 5 of HBO's "True Detective" alongside Antonio Banderas and plays football coach John Madden in Amazon MGM's "Madden," which Variety said arrives Nov. 11.

What is not known

The Times followed up on Oct. 19 with a story headlined "Nicolas Cage battles sinkhole that threatened his Malibu home," a sign the situation was still unresolved weeks later. Cage did not say when he expects to move back in, and a representative could not be reached by the Times in September. Whether the repairs to Sea Level Drive are complete was not addressed in the reports reviewed.