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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 voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale 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 resonated powerfully.

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

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

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

"As kids, what you see shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model 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 time of their mixed background and culture.

"In my view K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I feel like the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like a gamble," she reveals.

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

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

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

Reports have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea 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 experienced when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when it seems the society and individuals ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing 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 various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity 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 future it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

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

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and vocalists. I know they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, 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 follow-up.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the question 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 know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think fans everywhere would riot if it didn't happen."

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