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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"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 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 registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time of their dual heritage 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 believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was launched amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

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

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have AI actors and singers. I know they're already here. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public have some respect and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding a follow-up.

She reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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