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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, is describing her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

These were all aspects 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 longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes who you become and I feel like I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached 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 "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model 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 mixed background and culture.

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

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

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

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

The film was released 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 Asian-American residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Reports 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 grown-up, Cho understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that technology is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out art created by humans.

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

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a sequel.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await 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 protest if there wasn't."

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