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This exclusive piece explores extraordinary interviews and narratives from worldwide.

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, 40, is describing her early years in the southern state, 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, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

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

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

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

"As kids, what you see influences who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho notes many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho says she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to say this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like it's a risk," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The film was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Reports have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, she came to realise that the racism she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, 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 society and individuals should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love 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 as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

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

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I know our voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are demanding a sequel.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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