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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, 40, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, 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 people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

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 who you become and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, 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 she lacked when she was young.

She says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks 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 took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

The film was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions 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," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Reports 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 experienced when in her youth stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when it seems the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like there's a sense of despair," 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's sort of like the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us as one."

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

Cho says she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I know they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust the public have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, 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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