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

"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, recalls her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

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

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

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

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho notes many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time 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 this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the film's success was uncertain and the actress says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released amid increased immigration raids in the US 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 made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested 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 understood that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and people should know better, 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 the film could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the film industry, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and singers. I know they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are calling for a sequel.

She reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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