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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," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale 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 part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points in my life, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when she was young.

She notes many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first time of their dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and the actress says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like it's a risk," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film in person, she says.

The film was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested 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 adult, Cho understood that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, 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 the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I understand our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have some respect and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which made the film, 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 think everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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