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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, is describing her early years 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 narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when in her youth.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. 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, now," Cho says.

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

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

The movie was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

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 150,000 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

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

"However today, in this day and age, when it seems the world and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times I feel like there's a sense of despair," she says.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us as one."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the film industry, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Sure, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have appreciation and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if it didn't happen."

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