Chris Evans Says Mom 'Still Does a Lot of Bragging' About His Sexiest Man Alive Status (Exclusive)

Chris Evans' mom is getting mileage out of his Sexiest Man Alive title.

The actor and his Ghosted costar Ana de Armas speak about their onscreen chemistry and friendship in this week's issue of PEOPLE, and at one point, Evans shares that his mother Lisa often touts his current reign as Sexiest Man Alive.

"She still does a lot of bragging. It's going to be a sad day when I lose the title," says Evans, 41, adding, "Heavy lies the crown. It's not easy."

Evans was named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive in November. At the time, he said, "My mom will be so happy. She's proud of everything I do but this is something she can really brag about. ... Our family will be beside themselves."

De Armas, 34, who also worked with Evans on Knives Out (2019) and The Gray Man (2022), says the Captain America actor hasn't changed since being bestowed with the honor.

"Not changed at all. I think he was sexy before too!" she says with a smile. "I think it was coming, right? It was going to happen at some point." Evans jokes, "You guys were late. [It was] not 'if' just 'when.' "

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In Ghosted, fans see a new side of Evans: He plays clingy farmer Cole who, after a spectacular first date with de Armas' Sadie, gets swept up in a globe-trotting adventure with assassins hunting him. He soon learns Sadie is secretly a highly trained CIA agent who has to protect him from danger at every turn.

Evans says the damsel-in-distress role reversal is what appealed to him about the film.

"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. And the more human you respond, the funnier it is," he says.

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

This time around, the "action, for me, was pretty easy," says Evans, adding that his costar was the one with the laundry list of challenging stunts to tackle.

"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," he says. "I know this one took its toll on her."

"For sure," agrees de Armas. "I think 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. The chemistry's there and there's nothing forced."

Ghosted is on Apple TV+ Friday.

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