It's almost hard to imagine Adam Sandler in a bad mood.
However, the actor and comedian recently opened up about how his attitude used to get the better of him—especially as an up-and-coming performer on Saturday Night Live in the early '90s.
"I used to go nuts. I had a quick temper, quick reactions," Sandler told AARP Sept. 21. "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. 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?'"
Sandler was hired as a writer on SNL in 1990 before joining the cast as a performer from 1991 to 1995, creating such memorable characters as Opera Man and debuting beloved original music like "The Chanukah Song."
Despite his success, however, Sandler explained that his ego often got in the way.
"Because I was hungry, I didn't always see clearly then," he said. "I wanted to be a big comedian like Eddie Murphy, like Rodney Dangerfield."
While Sandler admitted that his attitude will surface from time to time, describing himself as "still a nut," he credited the positive steps he's taken to better his own mental health in recent years as a means of improvement.
"Well, I talk to a shrink sometimes," Sandler revealed. "He's given me a plan. 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."
The 56-year-old Sandler has been able to ease into somebody who can marvel at another person's talents, rather than feel the need to measure up.
"I'm also better at appreciation," he said. "I appreciate other people's talent now rather than competing with in—in every field, in every sport, every part of showbiz."
That goes for his old place of work, as well.
"A lot of young comedians, a lot of the new cast on SNL, they just make me laugh now," Sandler said. "I'll watch somebody and say, 'Man, they're great. I never would have thought of that joke or that approach.'"
Sandler can now be seen in Netflix's Hustle, alongside Queen Latifah, and is currently filming the comedy You Are SO Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah!, which will feature appearances from his wife Jackie Sandler and their two daughters, Sadie and Sunny.