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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says Arden Cho, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance 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 come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having people treat me like I'm not, trying to figure out my identity as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

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

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

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes who you become and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, 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.

She says many Korean-Americans 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 has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

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

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

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

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

Reports have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, Cho understood that the racism she had experienced when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know 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's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

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

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and something to unite us as one."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the film industry, creating the potential that in future it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

The actress says she is aware that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust the public have appreciation and want and love for something real."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are demanding a follow-up.

Cho reveals she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – 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 there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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