Michael Douglas Reveals Aging Taught Him to Spend His Time ‘Much More Carefully’

As a past-his-primetime acting teacher on Netflix’s sitcom The Kominsky Method, Michael Douglas often jokes bitterly about getting older — but in real life, he doesn’t mind it so much. In fact, he likes it. “The upside of aging is that you choose how you spend your time much more carefully,” the 74-year-old dished to The Mirror in early February. “Rather than just going with the flow, you wake up in the morning and you think about what you are going to do that week.”

He admitted that wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, 49, and kids Dylan, 18, and Carys, 15, “always tease me because I’m planning holidays three to six months ahead.” But, “There’s much more planning your time because all of a sudden, you don’t have this infinite amount of time,” the Fatal Attraction star dished. “Your time is finite now.”

Surviving tongue cancer in 2010 also gave Michael a new perspective on what’s truly important in life. “It feels like a rebirth after you go through cancer and come out of it — you see priorities differently,” he gushed of his family. “You have a much deeper appreciation of marriage, of your children — you see everything a little bit clearer and a little brighter.”

Michael is especially grateful these days after he renewed the relationship with his son Cameron, 40. “Cameron has had a difficult time and has had his share of adversities, but he’s doing great now,” the actor said of his son’s substance abuse struggles that have played out in the press over the years.

His other children are doing just as great. “Dylan is off to college now and Carys has a big career ahead of her,” Michael gushed of his youngest kids’ accomplishments. “She’s a wonderful singer, plays the piano and is very pretty. I think you might be hearing from her sooner than you expected.”

Even though Michael isn’t sweating turning 75 this September, the Ant-Man star admitted that he does feel the effects of his age at work. “Memory is tough. Memorizing lines takes longer and I don’t like that anxious feeling that you don’t have it locked in,” he said. Those setbacks, though, are the reason why Michael is so grateful for his career. “Hey, I am 74 and in most jobs, they kick you out at 65. So I love what I am doing and it keeps me going,” he said. “I can only play so much golf.” We love Michael’s sense of humor!

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