George Clooney and Brad Pitt are often seen as Hollywood macho men, but that’s rapidly changing as their partners take control.

“It’s very noticeable these days how Brad and George are deferring to their partners, not just with their social life but the way they dress and even what they order at a restaurant,” a source exclusively tells Closer.

The Ticket to Paradise actor, 63, and the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star, 60, were recently photographed out and about with their respective other halves, Amal Clooney and Ines de Ramon, when they debuted their film Wolfs at the Venice International Film Festival on September 1.

Both of the men looked extremely sharp as they posed with Amal, 46, and Ines, 31, but that’s thanks to the ladies.

“Brad will let Ines order his dinner and choose his shirts for him to go out in, and George has been happy to let Amal call the shots for years now ever since his motorbike crash,” the source adds, referring to when the actor was hit by a car on July 10, 2018, while riding a motorcycle to a film set in Sardinia.

At the time, he was hospitalized with minor injuries — and forced to make some very important changes. “The dynamic and power shifted when George kicked his boozy and fast-riding antics,” says the insider, adding that “it’s helped” his relationship with the international human rights lawyer become even “better.”

George and Amal have been married since September 27, 2014, after getting engaged in April of that year. As they quickly approach their 10-year wedding anniversary, Brad can’t help but notice how his best friend’s relationship is getting stronger as the years go by.

brad pitt, george clooney
Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

The Bullet Train star has “seen” how happy George is and has “always liked a strong woman” like Amal, according to the insider.

While his ex-wife Angelina Jolie certainly fit the profile, the source adds that Ines — whom he’s been linked to since 2022 — “is feistier than people realize.”

George and Brad have been incredibly close through the years. “We’ve been friends for a long time,” George told GQ in a joint interview with Brad that was published last month. “And it’s fun because we also check in on each other every once in a while, which is an important part of this. Things get complicated in life and you always have to make sure everybody’s OK.”

While Wolfs is their latest collaboration, it joins a list of other notable projects they’ve worked on together. The ER alum and the Ad Astra actor have shared the screen in numerous films over the years, including Ocean’s Eleven, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, Burn After Reading and If.

“George is probably the best at understanding, seeing the chessboard and the potential moves,” Brad reflected on their friendship and collaborations. “I’ll call George on numerous occasions when things get bumpy.”

Added George, “There’s a very interesting thing that happens when you’ve been working together a long time where, I don’t have to be looking even near him to know what he’s doing and have some idea of what’s going on. And there’s a great ease to that and confidence where you just go, ‘Oh yeah, I know what he’s going to do.'”