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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in Netflix's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, 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 narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just two weeks, 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 "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

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

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

The movie was launched amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Reports have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, she understood that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, 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 we just needed positivity and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the film industry, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I'm sure there will be digital performers and vocalists. I know they already exist. I know our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She reveals she would like to confirm 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 know there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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