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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, 40, 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 rescue humanity from dark powers, 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, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

These elements were components of her formative years that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I hated 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 shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

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

"In my view K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and the actress admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel 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 face-to-face, she says.

The film was launched amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, she understood that the racism she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Because of this, it feels very special, she notes, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the film industry, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are calling for a sequel.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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