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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, is describing her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her true nature as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

"As kids, what you see influences who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

The film was launched 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 heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the society and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

Cho says she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still seek out human-made creativity.

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

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are demanding a follow-up.

She reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I'm aware rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if it didn't happen."

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