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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her true nature as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

These elements were components of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, what you see influences your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the type that was missing when she was young.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

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

As an grown-up, she understood that the racism she had experienced when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element 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 make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Sure, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I know they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences around the world are calling for a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to wait for the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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