Domhnall Gleeson Wishes He’d Delved Deeper Into General Hux’s “Bitterness” Before Rise of Skywalker’s Shocking Twist

Actor Domhnall Gleeson has opened up about the role he would have relished more than any other in the Star Wars sequel trilogy: the “bitterness” at the heart of General Hux, the First Order’s fanatical commander whose story was abruptly cut short by the franchise’s most surprising twist. Speaking in a candid interview with IGN’s Liv Marks, the Irish actor reflected on his time playing the character across all three sequel films, admitting that had he been given more screen time, he would have loved to explore the genuine menace beneath Hux’s performative rage. The comments arrive as fans continue to dissect the fallout of Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker, the film that ended Hux’s arc in a single, explosive act.

Hux appears in every installment of the sequel trilogy, beginning as a loyal, downtrodden sidekick to Kylo Ren and ultimately revealing himself as a secret Rebel spy. That late change of heart, however, spells his doom — he is quickly discovered and gunned down in the film’s climactic confrontation. It is an abrupt reveal and an even swifter demise for one of the few characters to appear across all three sequels, though no less messy than the rest of the film’s troubled narrative. While Hux’s subplot was hardly the most pressing storyline, even Gleeson has admitted he had hoped for more depth before the character’s fate was sealed.

Chasing the Real Danger Behind the Performance

“Speaking genuinely, it would have been nice to go into the real bitterness at the heart of him,” Gleeson told Marks. “In a quiet way, just to find a couple of quiet moments with him, where it’s not performative, where the real danger of him comes across.”

“A kicked dog will end up attacking someone,” he continued, “and he is a kicked dog by the end of that sort of stuff. So I would have loved to go into that stuff but, spoiler alert, I got shot in the chest by Richard E. Grant.”

Domhnall Gleeson

The reference to Richard E. Grant is a nod to the actor’s memorable performance as the bounty hunter Beckett, whose blaster ultimately ends Hux’s life. Gleeson’s remarks suggest that the character’s arc, while dramatic, may have been underdeveloped — a sentiment that resonates with audiences who felt the film’s pacing left several threads, including Hux’s, feeling rushed and unresolved.

Interestingly, Gleeson also revealed that his most acclaimed moments came from moments of restraint rather than spectacle. He described his rousing speech to the First Order troops as one of his easiest scenes, noting that he knew how to fully lean into the character at such a dramatic juncture. By contrast, the tense corridor conversations with Adam Driver’s petulant Kylo Ren required more careful work in the moment, as the pair had to walk a fine line to keep the scenes grounded and believable.

A Kicked Dog’s Untold Story?

With the theatrical saga effectively concluded, fans have begun to wonder whether there is room for more Hux in the wider Star Wars universe. The franchise has since expanded into a sprawling ecosystem of spinoff books, comics, and video games, offering new opportunities for beloved and beloved-but-forgotten characters to return. Gleeson’s glowering baddie, quietly undermining the First Order from the shadows, could well be a compelling prospect for future storytelling.

For now, the spotlight shifts to the rest of the franchise’s slate. Disney will return to the ongoing exploits of Ahsoka Tano with a second season of its Disney+ series next year, continuing the story that began in the acclaimed first season. Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter is headed to theaters in May 2027. Hopes are high for both projects, especially after the middling response to this year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, which underperformed at the box office and left the franchise’s future in question.

Whether Hux gets his long-overdue redemption arc remains to be seen, but Gleeson’s willingness to revisit the character’s darker motivations suggests there is plenty of unmined potential in the First Order’s ranks. For a franchise hungry for fresh perspectives, the general’s quiet bitterness may just be the story the galaxy needs next.