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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, is describing her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings influences who you become and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first instance of their dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress admits she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she reveals.

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 launched amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

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

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce 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'm sure there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I understand our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are calling for a sequel.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I know rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if it didn't happen."

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