“I actually tried out for another character, but something didn’t feel right, so I assumed I’d failed the audition. Then I was told that I had been chosen to be Leona, and my first thought was ‘What? Really?,’ but I have come to realize that Leona is more approachable for me. His constant languidness, his ‘Uhg, I’m so tired’ and ‘You can do the rest,’ his distancing himself from other people, his retreating away—that is all more suited to me.
That ‘languidness,’ in particular, is a very important element of stepping into the role of Leona, and I was able to sync up with that, which made it easier for me to play the character. In order to put across how Leona never goes out of his way to become involved with those around him, the director told me to not go overboard with the dialogue.
By ‘go overboard,’ he meant that I needed to stop saying the lines in a way that sounded like I was trying to get inside the other person’s head. I had to speak in such a way that it sounded like I was just throwing down dialogue in front of the audience, like dropping a stone at their feet. If I was asking a question, I had to be careful not to phrase it too aggressively.
I couldn’t use the more direct routes of just changing the volume of my voice or altering the speed at which I spoke. I would need to pause and imagine Leona’s mindset as he tries to be evasive, create the right timing and the right voice.
I was able to sympathize with Leona immensely while portraying him in the game. I was careful with my crafting of Leona’s voice, as well. I came up with it while keeping the atmosphere of Leona as an upperclassman in mind. Leona’s voice involves a low, deep tone that can drop even lower without making him sound like an old man.
Physical training is essential to being able to create a deep voice. I’ve always enjoyed exercising, but on a day before a recording I would always prepare by bench pressing to work out my pectoral muscles.
I have loved Disney films since I was a child, so I am very happy to be able to work on a project like this now. I remember playing ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ from The Lion King at a piano recital when I was in fifth grade.
I think I saw The Lion King for the first time when I was in kindergarten. The scene where the warthog, Pumbaa, eats insects really left an impression on me, because he made it look like they tasted amazing. I rewatched it recently, and that scene with Pumbaa was exactly as I remembered it! And he really did make them look delicious! (laughs).
What did change, though, was my impression of Scar. The only thing I was aware of as a child was that he was a ‘bad guy,’ so I hated him, but now—rewatching the movie as an adult—I better understand Scar’s frustrations and sadness with his position as the second-born prince. This understanding made the story even more interesting to me, and helped me with creating Leona’s character.
The climax of the second book in the main story, The Rebel of the Wilderness, involves a scene in which Leona expresses his grief and at long last is able to release his pent-up emotions. It is a scene where I expend a lot of energy, and I hope people play through the story.
-Twisted Wonderland Fanbook vol.1 (2020)
In the November, 2025 issue of Da Vinci Magazine, Umehara commented the following:
“I think his cold attitude is, in his own way, both a defense mechanism and a way of getting by in life. When I first read the script I was surprised at how carefully the characters’ backgrounds were portrayed and how rich the story was. Each character was depicted in great detail and felt very human. I realized that Leona Kingscholar wasn’t just arrogant, but also a realist and a romantic. A person full of complexity.”
“There are moments when he gets excited in his own way, and I want to make sure to clearly show those differences. Especially the lines where he smirks and says something to tease someone. Those are really fun to perform.”
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 