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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, 40, is describing her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the film, 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 true nature 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 I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

These elements were aspects of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my life, I hated many parts of me and I wanted to be someone else.

"During childhood, your surroundings influences your development and it seems I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

She notes many Korean-Americans have told her 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 Korea being loved. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The film was launched amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

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

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the racism she had experienced when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

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

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

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like the season's hit film, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho says she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I'm sure there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if it didn't happen."

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