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This exclusive piece explores extraordinary interviews and narratives from worldwide.

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says Arden Cho, who portrayed the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, recalls her childhood in the southern state, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as a hybrid being – and when she first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"Truthfully, at different points in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become someone else.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes who you become and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when she was young.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first instance of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence 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 film's success was uncertain and Cho says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention 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 meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

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

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

"However today, in the modern era, when it seems the society and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

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

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho says she is aware that technology is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust the public have some respect and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a sequel.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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