Personally I don't see Driver as ugly at all. He definitely is not the typical physical appearance you see in a person. I find him very interesting, though.
At first I thought he was a very weird choice to play the main villain, but after having seen TFA for the first time and finally knowing where he came from, there really are some physical traits I could visually see that look like they could be from Ford and Fisher.
You see the character traits of Ben's parents and together mixed with a powerful, yet torn and confused state Ben is in, it makes for a very dangerous character.
Not a full list here, but as an example:
Leia is pretty much a born leader, confident in her decisions, stubborn, generous, nurturing, unafraid, aggressive, but also vunerable with a good heart... and Skywalker blood.
Han is/was/is selfish, stubborn, a person of good intentions...but gets mixed up in bad stuff from time to time, moody, not often nurturing, protective of those he cares for.
We also know his parents were pretty absent in his upbringing and his current superior isn't exactly a great center for him and is clearly being manipulated.
Mix some of those things together and you have a leader who is angry, confused, a person of good intentions, aggressive, stubborn, selfish.... with Skywalker blood.
I truly don't fully know Ben Solo yet and his intentions, but I think many underestimate just how unstable and dangerous Kylo Ren is right now. He is also very capable of breaking through the evil and turning it around. Being able to redeem what happened to his Father, though.... that would be a tough one.
I got off track a little..... We were discussing Driver and not his role. I think they cast a great actor and I like that he is not the typical 'look' you see in film. He is very distinctive who can have a real edge to him, but be able to display a vulnerability that makes you sort of feel what he is conveying on screen.
Adam Driver is awesome.