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This exclusive piece explores extraordinary interviews and narratives from worldwide.

"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says the actress, who portrayed the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from dark powers, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I wanted to be a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

She says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first instance of their mixed background and culture.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence 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, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

The film was released amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

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

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

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us all together."

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 the animation.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Sure, I believe they're going to have digital performers and singers. I know they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She reveals she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

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

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