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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, 40, is describing her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I wanted to be someone else.

"During childhood, what you see influences your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the type that was missing when she was young.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

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

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations 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 grown-up, she came to realise that the racism she had experienced when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society 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 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 there was a need for positivity and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a film like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still seek out art created by humans.

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

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are demanding a follow-up.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question 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'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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