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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

These were all components of her formative years that mirrored Rumi's journey.

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

"During childhood, what you see shapes who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 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 set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, 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 feel pride for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

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

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

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

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

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

As an adult, she understood that the racism she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

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

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