The perpetually youthful Adam Sandler talks getting older

By Chloe Melas, CNN

After three decades entertaining audiences, Adam Sandler somehow still seems ageless.

But, now, age 56, the actor and comedian says he’s begun to reflect on his life and career.

“I like my age, and it’s fun to play my age,” Sandler says in the latest issue of AARP. “It’s freeing. I don’t have to be true to anything other than what I look like and what I think and what I do in life. I’m nonstop commitment to my projects, though I don’t have the same discipline to keep my body in shape. There hasn’t been one movie where I’ve stayed the same weight throughout a three-month shoot. I used to worry about it. Now I’m okay.”

Sandler became a household name on “Saturday Night Live” in the ’90s and has gone on to star in countless comedy classics from “The Wedding Singer” to “50 First Dates.” He says that when looking back on his career, especially his time on “SNL” from 1990 to 1995, he’s more self aware and has new appreciation for his colleagues.

“I’m calmer than I used to be. I used to go nuts,” Sandler tells the publication. “I had a quick temper, quick reactions. I made a lot of dumb mistakes and said a lot of stupid things. Looking back on relationships, I could be an a**. I was selfish. I was competitive with other comedians and stuff. My father would say, ‘That guy’s funny,’ and I would say, ‘Hey, I’m funny, blah, blah,’ and he’d be, like, ‘Why can’t you both be funny?’ Because I was hungry, I didn’t always see clearly then.”

Adding, “I’m also better at appreciation. I appreciate other people’s talent now rather than competing with it—in every field, in every sport, every part of showbiz. A lot of young comedians, a lot of the new cast on ‘SNL,’ they just make me laugh now.”

Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions have achieved remarkable success over the years. Now he says he just wants to enjoy the ride.

“I want people to continue to enjoy what I’m doing,” he says. “I hope they’ve had a good time with my movies, with what we’ve given them and, whether you’ve liked me or not, appreciate that I’ve tried my best … I’m just amazed people have trusted me as long as they have in this business and given me shot after shot. Because it would suck to do something else.”

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