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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points 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 launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like a gamble," she says.

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

The film was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, Cho 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 meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

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

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the film industry, 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 AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

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

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I think fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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