Despite hitting theaters back in December, the conversation surrounding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hasn't slowed down much. J.J. Abrams had to cover a ton of narrative mileage through the movie's 142-minute runtime. As such, there's a ton of footage that was left on the cutting room floor, with some plot point being expanded through the movie's novelization and comic books. One character that had a reduced role was Domhnall Gleeson's General Hux. And it turns out the actor wishes that his role was expanded in the theatrical cut.
General Hux had an amusing arc throughout the last trilogy of Star Wars movies. He had a competitive relationship with Kylo Ren, as they fought for Snoke's approval before his untimely death. Hux had a huge plot twist in The Rise of Skywalker, as it was revealed that he was actually a spy for The Resistance. He ended up unceremoniously killed off by Allegiant General Pryde, but it turns out that Domhnall Gleeson wished that he made it further into the movie's runtime. As the actor recently put it,
It would’ve been nice to stick around a little bit longer, for sure. It would’ve been nice to see the spy thing play out a little bit, but J.J. [Abrams] knows what he’s doing, and I heard a kind of gasp in the cinema when it happened, so I guess he was right.
Despite wishing that Hux had a larger role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, he has faith in J.J. Abrams' vision as a director. Because in addition to ending the sequel trilogy, the filmmaker also had to wrap up the entire nine-film Skywalker Saga. As such, some characters like Hux and Rose Tico ended up with reduced roles.
Domhnall Gleeson's comments to Indie Wire is an honest expression of his feelings about The Rise of Skywalker. While he doesn't have any issue with how J.J. Abrams handled the blockbuster's contents, the Harry Potter alum admitted he'd love to have Hux in as much of the movie as possible. Although the character's death was an unexpected plot twist that elicited strong reactions in theaters.
After his first two Star Wars appearances, The Rise of Skywalker made a bold change to Hux's character. His hatred for Kylo Ren resulted in him actually aiding The Resistance. You can check out that scene and his death below.
The hits came in quick succession for Hux in The Rise of Skywalker, as no one expected him to be a spy who is killed by another member of the First Order. But Star Wars is known for its twists, and J.J. Abrams brought plenty of them to Episode IX.
Domhnall Gleeson previously revealed a deleted scene involving General Hux. The First Order reportedly shot some thrilling action for The Rise of Skywalker's opening sequence. But that footage resulted in just a few brief shots, before Kylo Ren travels to Exegol in search of Palpatine.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available on DVD and Blu-ray now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
