For about a decade beginning in the mid-90s, Hugh Grant reigned king of the rom-coms, charming fans with his bumbling British charisma in films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones. Since 2009’s Did You Hear About the Morgans?, which bottomed out his Rotten Tomatoes nosedive at a 29 percent, the actor has put his movie career on pause, only popping up on-screen in I’m Still Here, Cloud Atlas, and, now, a perfectly harmless comedy co-starring Marisa Tomei called The Rewrite.

During a recent segment on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, the actor was asked what he learned from the rom-com phase of his career. And the actor, ever the self-deprecating Brit, had this response at the ready: “I think the big lesson is that romance is a big lie, perpetuated by cynical films made by Englishmen,” he told host Andy Cohen. “Don’t fall for it. Because on the whole, it will make you miserable.”

That being said, the actor, now 54, says he does have a soft spot for viewing movies with that kind of sensibility, and a respect for the art form. “I do like charming films,” he said. “I think that charm is kind of a rare commodity now in cinema. Everyone gets prizes for being deep and dark and serious—but actually it’s quite difficult to do light and entertaining and charming.”

Grant joked that those qualities do not come naturally to him. “I get very annoyed when people think that I am, sort of, nice, or diffident, or a polite gentleman or Englishman,” he revealed. “All of those phrases make me gnash my teeth. I’m a quite nasty piece of work and I think people should know that.”

Although this might sound implausible, remember that Jon Stewart did identify him as the worst Daily Show guest he’s ever had. (“And we’ve had dictators on the show,” Stewart clarified at the time.) A description of the incident, per Third-Beat.com:

Grant spent his time at the studio complaining that he had other places to be. “He’s giving everyone shit the whole time, and he’s a big pain in the ass,” Stewart recalled. Grant also complained to the staff about the clip that was selected of the movie he was promoting, Did You Hear About the Morgans?—a clip that was obviously supplied by the film’s publicist. Stewart recalls Grant angrily asking “What is that clip? It’s a terrible clip.” “Well, then make a better fucking movie,” Stewart said, adding that he would “never” have Grant back.

Grant was also asked about that event, to which Grant admitted, “I did have a tantrum backstage. About once a year, I have a really mega-tantrum, and sadly he witnessed one.”

Even though it was an American show that outed his less gentleman-ly side, Grant said he still prefers U.S. fans. When asked about the major difference between British and stateside audiences, the actor joked “Weight, I think. Almost entirely. [Americans] are just a bit bigger. But the Brits are catching up fast.” On a more serious note, he added, “In terms of sense of humor and supportiveness, the Americans are better. They are much nicer than me.”