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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, 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 save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having others view me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

These elements were components of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I wanted to be someone else.

"As kids, your surroundings influences who you become and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

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

"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

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

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," 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 adult, Cho understood that the racism she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and something to unite us 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 make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and singers. I know they're already here. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a sequel.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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