Having personally seen Renee Zellweger shoot hoops at a local Los Angeles basketball court, it wasn't surprising to hear she couldn't resist hitting the field to throw a few footballs around during the production of her new romantic comedy "Leatherheads." Needless to say, her director, co-star and longtime friend George Clooney wasn't too happy about it.

Zellweger recalls, "Oh, I got in trouble! And I had my stupid little heels on and my hat, and George came out and said, 'Put that thing down! Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! What am I going to do with you when you miss?'"

Clooney's random "Brady Bunch" reference aside, it's clear he made a great choice picking Zellweger to play Lexi, the gutsy and witty reporter who shakes things up in "Leatherheads." Assigned to cover the fictional 1920s Duluth Bulldogs football team, she ends up getting involved in a love triangle between Clooney's character and a star recruit played by John Krasinski ("The Office"). The Oscar-winning actress has actually starred in more period films, such as "Down With Love" and "Chicago," than she has in contemporary flicks, and it's partially by her own design.

"I'm so much more comfortable in a corset or the '20s sort of drop waist dresses and the way of delivering that dialogue than just being the girl who kind of looks like me and who might have the same clothes in her wardrobe as I do," Zellweger says. "I don't feel safe playing the girl who looks like me. There's not enough to hide behind."

As for Clooney, Zellweger was impressed by how skillfully he was able to balance the responsibilities of leading man and director on the film. She says, "He knows what he's trying to achieve so he doesn't waste time. He's not indulgent. He's not insecure about it so we have to try everything 600,000 different ways in order to cover whatever it might be that he's forgetting."

Earlier in the day, Krasinski volunteered a complimentary anecdote about how nervous he had been before his first scene on the film and how Zellweger had come over to him and calmed him down. Beyond her adoration for the up-and-comer, the incident reminded her of her own insecurities while shooting her own big movie break.

"I just remember crying behind a few fake bushes on the set of 'Jerry Maguire' when nobody could see," Zellweger says. "Yeah, I do. I remember it well."

Obviously, a lot has changed since then, but not all for the better. Zellweger loves her profession, but says she craves the anonymity that previously allowed her to have a real exchange with someone who wouldn't treat her differently just because she's a celebrity.

"I know it sounds so crazy, but boy do I cherish it when somebody's mean because they're just having a bad day, and they don't recognize that you know Tom Cruise," Zellweger says. "I love it when the stewardess is just nasty! I do. It's fantastic. And I just shrink when she comes back and apologizes because she didn't realize."

Honestly, Renee, I'm still surprised the stewardess apologized at all.

"Leatherheads" opens nationwide April 4.

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