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

Cho, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when in her youth.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first time of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain and Cho says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, she understood that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when it seems the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and at times I feel like there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element as one."

The growth of AI 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 acknowledges she is aware that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I understand our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have appreciation and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and audiences around the world are calling for a sequel.

Cho reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the platform or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

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

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