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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, is describing her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

These elements were aspects of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I hated many parts of me and I wanted to be someone else.

"During childhood, your surroundings influences who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first time of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain and the actress says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the film industry, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to produce a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are demanding a follow-up.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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