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

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says the actress, who portrayed the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points in my life, I despised a lot of myself and I longed to become someone else.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when she was young.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first time of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

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

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew in person, she adds.

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

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

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

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

Because of this, it feels very special, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because there was a need for some hope and a unifying element as one."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the film industry, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a film like the animation.

The actress says she is aware 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.

"Sure, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have some respect and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

Cho reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

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

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