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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, Rumi has to accept her true nature 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, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

These were all aspects of her formative years that paralleled the character's path.

"Truthfully, at different points in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings influences your development and it seems I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters registered 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 with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

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

As an grown-up, she understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a film like the animation.

The actress says she is aware that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I know they already exist. I understand our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have some respect and want and love for something real."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are calling for a sequel.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I know rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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