Adam Sandler, 56, appears on the cover of AARP magazine, opens up about aging: 'I’m getting older. That doesn’t mean I feel old.'

Adam Sandler is getting candid about the lessons he's learned with age in the latest cover of AARP magazine.

While making the cover of AARP is a reminder that he's getting older, the 56-year-old comedian was quick to point out that aging is something worth celebrating.

"It feels great. It makes sense. I'm getting older. That doesn't mean I feel old," he explained. "I mean, I do when I'm on the basketball court and an 18-year-old kid hears I’m 56 and says, 'Wow! I thought you were younger than that!' But I like my age, and it's fun to play my age. 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."

Sandler is looking back on life with wisdom these days, admitting that when he was in his 20s he made a lot of "dumb mistakes."

"I'm calmer than I used to be. I used to go nuts. I had a quick temper, quick reactions," he said. "I made a lot of dumb mistakes and said a lot of stupid things. Looking back on relationships, I could be an ass. I was selfish."

Therapy has helped him figure out how to make better choices, he explains.

"I talk to a shrink sometimes. He's given me a plan," he said. "Sometimes just holding in a sentence, taking a beat for a minute before saying something stupid. When I do that, I realize it wasn't that important to say it in the first place, and I don't spend two hours making everyone around me feel weirdness for no reason."

Still, that doesn't mean his anxiety or his short fuse has left him completely.

"I'm still a nut. I still get anxious," he acknowledged. "If things are taking too long, if I'm waiting downstairs for my wife to get dressed, I'm, like, 'What the hell’s going on up there?'"

Sandler is the father of two daughters: Sadie, 16, and Sunny, 13, both of whom he shares with his wife of nearly 20 years.

Aside from recent health setbacks — he admits to being "kind of in agony every minute" prior to a recent hip surgery in September, brought on by a groin injury — the comedian says his family's wellbeing is the only thing keeping him up these days.

"My wife and I go to sleep talking about the girls. They have so much ahead, and I feel nervous for them, excited for them," he said. "As a parent, you just want to make sure your kids are OK when it’s time for them to take off. But teenagers are complicated. They'd rather spend time with friends than sitting at home with us all the time."

In terms of his legacy, Sandler says all he wants to do is enjoy the ride.

"I want people to continue to enjoy what I'm doing. 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," he said. "I'm just amazed people have trusted me as long as they have in this business, and given me shot after shot."

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