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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance 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 come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

These elements were components of her formative years that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"Truthfully, at different points in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, what you see influences your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when she was young.

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

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

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

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film in person, she says.

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, she came to realise that the racism she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times I feel like there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

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

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future it could be used to produce a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Sure, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and want and love for something real."

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

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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