Chuck Lorre has confirmed that the difficult mother in Two and a Half Men was based on his real mother. A recent interview wandered somewhere far more tender than a laugh track usually allows, and the punchlines stayed home. Plenty of his shows feature mothers who make life difficult, so a curious question was bound to arrive. The answer, as it turned out, had been waiting decades for someone to ask.

While most sons inherit a watch or a recipe, Lorre inherited a mother whose real rage became prime-time writing material.

Chuck Lorre says Charlie’s mother on Two and a Half Men came straight from his own. The sitcom version had money, which gave Holland Taylor’s character leverage. His mother was broke, yet carried plenty of anger.

“The darkness, the anger and resentment, the rage she had towards many people, that impacted on me,” he said on Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.

He added, “the character on Two and a Half Men was very much a reflection of that.”

Bialik asked about Howard’s mother on Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, yet Lorre said Charlie’s mother was closer to home. His mother could twist any remark into something dark, so he tested her with a sentence about a beautiful day. She replied that it was sad the other days were not like it. The exchange later landed almost word for word in a script, with Charlie trying to prove to Alan that their mother is Satan.

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As one Two and a Half Men mother proved impossible to please, a certain British leading man proved equally impossible to sign.

Hugh Grant backed out of leading Two and a Half Men just as the contract was due, despite an offer of $750,000 per episode. Chuck Lorre shared the story in his memoir, Sitcom. Charlie Sheen left the series in 2011, and Lorre first wanted to end it, until then CBS chairman Les Moonves urged him to find a new lead. After a desperate search, Grant became the target.

Grant had one worry: a live studio audience, and Lorre even offered prerecorded laughter instead, yet the answer stayed no. A call from an agent or manager delivered the news, and Lorre has not spoken with Grant since. Lorre told PEOPLE the role likely was not a good career play, since money ranked below Grant’s needs as an artist. Ashton Kutcher later took the lead. Grant walked away from the script, but Lorre’s mother never needed an offer to end up in it.

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What are your thoughts on Chuck Lorre’s mother inspiring Two and a Half Men and Hugh Grant’s refusal? Let us know in the comments.