Chris Evans and Ana de Armas Joke About Finally Getting to 'Like Each Other' in 'Ghosted' (Exclusive)

Chris Evans and Ana de Armas' friendship is going strong after three movies together.

The duo first shared the screen in 2019's Knives Out and both held their own in 2022's The Gray Man. Now reunited in Ghosted, an action rom-com streaming on Apple TV+ this Friday, de Armas and Evans tell PEOPLE in this week's issue they were eager to explore a new dynamic with each other. They finally got to "like each other" onscreen, jokes de Armas, 34.

"It was nice, with this movie we finally got to interact in a more playful, banter-y sort of way," says Evans, 41. "In Knives Out we're obviously adversarial. The second film, Gray Man, we didn't have anything together, so this was fun to actually get to have some repartee and explore that type of movie."

Evans plays Cole, an everyday farmer who enjoys a spectacular first date with art curator Sadie (de Armas). After she ghosts him, Cole comes up with the grand plan to surprise her in London — only to discover she's a secret agent when she saves him from assassins and kicks off a global mission to save the world.

And to hash out their romantic potential along the way, of course.

"I thought it was very refreshing and new and unexpected for people to see Chris in this position of not being the one in control and strong and saving the day," says de Armas. "For me, it was a lot of fun — a lot of work and a lot to do, but it was really cool."

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Adds Evans, "That's what I liked about the movie. It's so fun to be the eyes of the audience and react how they would — or at least how I assume most of the audience would, certainly how I would — to panic and be relatively incapable. The more human you respond, the funnier it is."

As Ghosted blends several genres, the stars say the action proved the most demanding. The romance and comedy sprinkled throughout? That all came "easy," according to de Armas.

"For sure the action. The other part of the movie, the fun, the romance, the conversations and all of that, it comes very natural for Chris and I, and it was just very easy," she explains. "The chemistry's there and there's nothing forced. That part was good."

But, the action "for me was pretty easy — I just panic," jokes Evans, adding that his costar was the one enduring "those big action days where you do take after take."

"Over the course of the movie, you just start accumulating these injuries and bumps and bruises, so by the time you finish the movie you're limping across the finish line," the Marvel alum says. "So I know this one took its toll on her."

He adds, "Ana did an incredible amount of her own stunts. The first sequence we did in the caves, she was flipping guys and spinning and kicking and rolling. I was like, 'Oh my God. Someone's been doing their training!' "

Evans and de Armas' off-set friendship looks a lot like silly text messages back and forth. "We check on each other and we text dog pictures," she says. Evans adds that his costar pal keeps busy: "Ana never stops working. She's just right onto the next one. Meanwhile, I disappear into Massachusetts." She jokes, "I do movies between movies!"

Still, it's a "reliable" connection after three movies together, says Evans. "Ana is a consistent professional and a great friend. It's a constant." De Armas adds of their friendship, "I feel like it gets better, deeper."

Ghosted begins streaming on Apple TV+ Friday.

For more on Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.