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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored 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.

The performer, 40, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she says.

These were all aspects of her formative years 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, your surroundings shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when in her youth.

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 dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

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

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

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to meet everyone working on the film in person, she says.

The film was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, she understood that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, 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 expresses.

Because of this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters 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 some hope and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the film industry, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still seek out art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure there will be AI actors and vocalists. I know they're already here. I know our voices are already being altered, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

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

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