🔗 Share this article

This feature delves into remarkable conversations and stories from around the globe.

"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals the actress, who voiced Rumi in Netflix's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, recalls her childhood in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, what you see influences your development and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that was missing when in her youth.

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

"In my view 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 this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho says 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 Asian-led project, it's perceived like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was launched amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Reports have suggested that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho understood that the racism she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film 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 we just needed positivity and something to unite us all together."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

Cho acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and vocalists. I know they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have some respect and want and love for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think fans everywhere would protest if there wasn't."

• Starting conversations, fostering relationships and combating false narratives through features, in-depth reports, conversations and extraordinary stories