The actors became good friends after a brief fling several years ago, and they co-star in the upcoming film Leatherheads.

"He's very protective of her," says a friend of Renee's, "and after he saw recent pictures of her and heard alarming first-person accounts of what she looks like, he freaked out. He thinks Renée looks way too skinny and gaunt."

"Renée never fully recovered from her divorce from Kenny," says her friend, who explains that the actress uses intense workout session at the gym as a way to deal with stress.

Now that she's approaching 40, Renée is even more focused on staying thin. "As she gets older, she is getting more insecure about her looks," says the friend. "Controlling her weight is Renée's way of coping when she doesn't have a boyfriend."

"George bore down on Renée about how he didn't want the press focus of Leatherheads to be on her weight," says the friend. "After some cajoling, Renée promised George she would put on some weight by the end of November."