Paul Castro Jr. didn’t expect to land one of his most emotionally demanding roles while recording auditions from his car. At the time, the actor was in upstate New York, directing and filming his first feature film alongside his wife, running on little sleep and juggling passion projects. When the audition for Twisted Wonderland came in, Castro Jr. improvised a makeshift recording setup in an Airbnb before ultimately retreating to his car to escape the noise. Convinced the odds were stacked against him, he was surprised when a callback arrived, eventually leading him to the role of Riddle Rosehearts.
Paul Castro Jr.: I did all of these auditions in my car, and I was like, there’s no way I’m getting this. I would love to have been a part of it. And I luckily got a call back, and I was already back in LA at the time, and I was like, ‘Okay, now I can really, really work hard on this.’
The actor expressed his gratitude for being trusted with the role of Riddl Rosehearts:
I’m just very lucky and very grateful that they they trusted me to be the voice of such a complicated character and it’s been very rewarding to work on.
Understanding Riddle Rosehearts
Though Castro Jr. was aware of Twisted Wonderland as a popular game inspired by Disney villains, he wasn’t deeply familiar with its lore until the audition process began. Once cast, he dove in fully, reading the manga and playing the game to understand the world and its characters. That research proved essential for Riddle, a character who initially appears as a rigid rule-enforcer but gradually reveals deep emotional wounds beneath his polished exterior.
Rather than directly imitating Japanese voice actor Natsuki Hanae, Castro Jr. focused on matching the emotional intensity of the original performance while finding his own path into the character. He drew particular inspiration from the Queen of Hearts mythos, exploring how strict rules and crushing expectations can shape someone’s identity. For Castro Jr., Riddle’s obsession with order isn’t rooted in cruelty, but in a genuine belief that structure is the only way to survive—and to help others succeed.
That understanding becomes crucial in Episode 7, when Riddle’s story takes a dramatic and painful turn during his overblot transformation. Castro Jr. describes the performance as one of the most intense experiences of his career, requiring him to tap into raw vulnerability and anguish. While he had some idea of the moment from the game, the anime’s animation amplified the pain and heartbreak, demanding an emotionally exhausting performance. The result is a scene that shocked many viewers and reframed Riddle as a tragic, empathetic figure rather than a simple antagonist.
Beyond the darkness, Castro Jr. says one of his favorite aspects of playing Riddle is exploring those contradictions: the composed housewarden, his wounded past, and the fleeting moments of unhinged Queen of Hearts energy – matched with the maniacal laughs that come with Riddle’s descent into overblot. It’s that complexity, he says, that makes the role so rewarding.
He challenged me unlike any other character.
Looking ahead, Castro Jr. teases the Twisted Wonderland finale with a single word: “emotional.” Whether that means heartbreak, catharsis, or something in between remains to be seen—but viewers may want tissues on hand. As the series continues to captivate fans old and new, Castro Jr.’s performance ensures that Riddle Rosehearts leaves a lasting impression long after the final rule is enforced.
