Exclusive

Ashlee Simpson "So Excited" About Boyfriend Evan Ross in Mockingjay

But has she read the Hunger Games books?

By Marc Malkin Dec 02, 2013 2:30 PMTags
Ashlee Simpson, Evan Ross, The Hunger Games: Catching FireJason Merritt/Getty Images

Evan Ross is still a bit shocked he was cast in Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2 in The Hunger Games franchise.

"It's mind-blowing," Ross, the 25-year-old son of music legend Diana Ross, tells me. "When they called I was like, 'Are you kidding?' They said, 'You got Hunger Games. You want to do it?'" I was like, 'Is that a question?'"

It was announced in August that Ross signed on to play Messalla in the two flicks.

Ross' girlfriend Ashlee Simpson admits she's only read the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy.

But no matter. "I'm so excited," she said of her beau's work in Mockingjay.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Jessica Simpson Collection

Ross added, "She's read a script."

And, no surprise, you can add Ross to the Jennifer Lawrence fan club.

"She's amazing," he gushed. "She's so sweet. She's so down to earth. She's on set earlier than we are."

Ross also had to up his workout regime.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

"I'm obviously not as trained as Liam Hemsworth and all of them," he said. "They're a lot bigger and stronger than me, but at the same time I've been trying to keep fit."

An alum of 90210, Ross recently played music producer Dallas Austin in Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story, a television movie about the pop hip hop trio.

Mockingjay Part 1 is slated to hit theaters on Nov. 21, 2014, and the trilogy will come to an end on Nov. 20, 2015, when Part 2 is released.

Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence is also directing Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2. Julianne Moore also joined the franchise in September as President Alma Coin.