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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde 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, recalls her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to come to terms with her true nature as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

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

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

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

"During childhood, your surroundings influences who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

She says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first instance of their dual heritage and culture.

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

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was launched amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

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, Cho understood that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when it seems the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have some respect and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a sequel.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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