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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, recalls her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my life, I despised a lot of myself and I longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when in her youth.

Cho notes many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film 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 Cho says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but whenever 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 connect with everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

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 residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, she understood that the racism she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in the modern era, when it seems the society and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like 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 there was a need for some hope and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I know they're already here. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have some respect and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks 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 question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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