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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says the actress, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, 40, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group 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 resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at different points in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I wanted to be a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings influences who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that was missing when in her youth.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success 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 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 face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho understood that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

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

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a film like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that technology is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust people have some respect and want and love for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a follow-up.

She reveals she would like to confirm 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 made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware rumors are circulating, 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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