Kate Capshaw, best known for playing Willie Scott in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, made a rare public appearance alongside her husband, Steven Spielberg, at the star-studded opening celebration of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles on September 19, 2026. The 72-year-old former actress looked elegant in a black-and-white outfit as she joined Spielberg, one of the event’s co-chairs, for the highly anticipated evening. The museum, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, is scheduled to open to the public on September 22 after a 17-year journey and a reported $1 billion investment. Its collection spans film memorabilia, comic illustrations, and works by artists including Norman Rockwell and Frida Kahlo. For longtime movie fans, Capshaw’s appearance was especially nostalgic because it marked a rare return to the Hollywood spotlight more than four decades after her best-known role opposite Harrison Ford. After appearing in several other films, Capshaw eventually stepped away from acting and devoted more time to family life with Spielberg and her children.
In recent years, Capshaw has developed a different creative career as a painter. Beginning in 2016, she worked with youth organizations and created portraits of unhoused young people, eventually expanding her artistic work into more personal projects. One of her notable assignments was painting an official portrait of Spielberg for the National Portrait Gallery, an experience she described as deeply meaningful because she knows both his public and private sides. Meanwhile, the museum opening brought together an extraordinary collection of Hollywood figures, including Harrison Ford, Woody Harrelson, Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino, Kerry Washington, Emma Watson, and many others. Guests also enjoyed a Star Wars-themed drone display and a performance by the Black Eyed Peas. Amid all the spectacle, Capshaw’s appearance offered fans a nostalgic reminder of her Hollywood past while highlighting the very different artistic life she has built since leaving acting.
