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This exclusive piece delves into extraordinary interviews and stories from around the globe.

"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in Netflix's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, is describing her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept 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 others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

These were all aspects of her formative years that paralleled the character's path.

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

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

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of 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 type that was missing when she was young.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their mixed background and culture.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

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

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The film was released amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, Cho understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

Cho says she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I understand our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us 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 produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if it didn't happen."

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