Nic, Loot & Love.

CAGE, Nicolas, 1965-; KIM, Alice; TURTELTAUB, Jon; VOIGHT, Jon, 1938-

The article profiles the success of actor Nicolas Cage with his new movie 'National Treasure' and his relationship with his wife Alice. In July Cage married the much younger Alice, 20, in a private ceremony just six months after they met. Though historically something of a Hollywood wild man--his two previous, highly dramatic marriages, to Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley, ended in divorce--Cage says he is feeling more at peace with himself and the world these days. It probably helps to be starring in an unexpected hit that could well lead to a sequel. Or two. Treasure, about (surprise) a treasure hunter who uses clues left by the country's Founding Fathers to discover an ancient bounty, is scoring big at the box office, earning more than $110 million during its first three weeks. Cage says he was drawn to the role because it gave him the opportunity to steal the Declaration of Independence "in a tuxedo." Some credit may also go to a grandmother who always gave young Nic money on his birthday--cash he buried in the backyard. Alice was also a surprise discovery. During some downtime while filming Treasure last winter, Cage was partying at the L.A. nightclub Le Prive, where a waiter introduced him to Alice Kim. Cage was immediately drawn to the woman Treasure director Jon Turteltaub calls "terrific, really smart and kind." Still, Cage wasn't quite sure how to court the former sushi waitress who still lived with her mother and siblings in nearby Granada Hills. But talking to Jon Voight (who plays his father in Treasure) about Alice, he had the traditional air of the perplexed suitor. Says Voight: "He comes to me and says, 'She said to call her back. What does that mean?'" INSET: THE FAMILY MAN.