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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue 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 movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

These were all components of her formative years that mirrored the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

"During childhood, what you see influences who you become and I feel like I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that was missing when she was young.

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

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, Cho understood that the racism she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us all together."

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

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure there will be AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the production company, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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