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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue 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, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, 40, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must save the world from dark powers, Rumi has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when she first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points in my life, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become someone else.

"As kids, what you see influences who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in 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 type that was missing when she was young.

Cho says many Korean-Americans 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 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, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

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

The movie was released amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

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

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because we just needed 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 make a movie like the animation.

Cho acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Sure, I'm sure there will be AI actors and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are demanding a sequel.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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