diff --git a/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.cxx b/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.cxx
index 6e293d51a8..840f5112d6 100644
--- a/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.cxx
@@ -406,9 +406,3 @@ const std::string& cmGeneratorExpressionInterpreter::Evaluate(
     this->LocalGenerator, this->Config, this->HeadTarget, &dagChecker, nullptr,
     this->Language);
 }
-
-const std::string& cmGeneratorExpressionInterpreter::Evaluate(
-  const char* expression, const std::string& property)
-{
-  return this->Evaluate(std::string(expression ? expression : ""), property);
-}
diff --git a/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.h b/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.h
index 75bba02d2e..09d8b8863b 100644
--- a/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.h
+++ b/Source/cmGeneratorExpression.h
@@ -199,8 +199,6 @@ public:
 
   const std::string& Evaluate(std::string expression,
                               const std::string& property);
-  const std::string& Evaluate(const char* expression,
-                              const std::string& property);
 
 protected:
   cmGeneratorExpression GeneratorExpression;
diff --git a/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx b/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx
index ccd8e7e9bc..b202e9158c 100644
--- a/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx
@@ -5411,8 +5411,7 @@ bool getTypedProperty<bool>(cmGeneratorTarget const* tgt,
   }
 
   cmProp value = tgt->GetProperty(prop);
-  return cmIsOn(
-    genexInterpreter->Evaluate(value ? value->c_str() : nullptr, prop));
+  return cmIsOn(genexInterpreter->Evaluate(value ? *value : "", prop));
 }
 
 template <>
@@ -5426,8 +5425,7 @@ const char* getTypedProperty<const char*>(
     return value ? value->c_str() : nullptr;
   }
 
-  return genexInterpreter->Evaluate(value ? value->c_str() : nullptr, prop)
-    .c_str();
+  return genexInterpreter->Evaluate(value ? *value : "", prop).c_str();
 }
 
 template <>
@@ -5441,7 +5439,7 @@ std::string getTypedProperty<std::string>(
     return valueAsString(value ? value->c_str() : nullptr);
   }
 
-  return genexInterpreter->Evaluate(value ? value->c_str() : nullptr, prop);
+  return genexInterpreter->Evaluate(value ? *value : "", prop);
 }
 
 template <typename PropertyType>