Andrew Hawkes from General Hospital has opened up about Ross Cullum‘s epic final storyline and exit from the show. He portrayed the antagonist in a recurring role between January 14 and July 2, 2026. A ruthless WSB director and the mastermind behind Cesar Faison’s final project, the character’s storyline on General Hospital recently came to a dramatic end.
Andrew Hawkes says Cullum’s exit was ‘inevitable’ on General Hospital
Ross Cullum’s death in the July 2 episode of General Hospital brought Andrew Hawkes’ six-month run as the deceitful WSB agent in Port Charles to a close. In an exclusive interview with Soap Opera Digest, the 60-year-old discussed why that conclusion was unavoidable.
The Contagion actor shared that he did not expect a long stay when he first joined General Hospital. “At first it was only supposed to be three episodes,” he noted. “Then it was supposed to be six to eight episodes. And I think now, when all is said and done, I’ve done about 40 episodes!”
Andrew Hawkes described his extended tenure on the show as fortunate. However, he also acknowledged that it was always likely to be temporary because of his character’s villainous role. Speaking about Cullum’s death and his departure, Hawkes said it “was inevitable. I knew it was coming at some point.”
Hawkes described portraying Cullum as an extraordinary professional experience at this stage of his career. The Nothing in Los Angeles actor revealed that he connected with the cast and crew immediately and expressed admiration for everyone’s hard work. Although he had anticipated the departure, he admitted the farewell was emotional.
The Cullum portrayer revealed that he had to be at his sharpest for his intense final day on set. “We had a ton of stuff to get done and I had to stay very focused,” he said. “Whatever feelings I had at that point, it was really about just doing the work because I had a big day ahead of me. I couldn’t really be like, ‘Oh, I’m so sad!’”
Andrew Hawkes’ sendoff episode featured stunts, location work, a helicopter, and a special appearance by John Oliver. As he put it, “It was an epic sendoff, without a doubt.”
