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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, 40, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

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

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

These were all components of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, what you see influences your development and it seems I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when she was young.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first time of their dual heritage and culture.

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact 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," she comments.

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

"It seems it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever 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 everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

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

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, Cho understood that the prejudice 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 society and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element all together."

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

The actress acknowledges she is aware that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I know they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have appreciation and want and love for something real."

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are calling for a sequel.

She tells us she would like to confirm 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'm aware rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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