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This exclusive piece explores extraordinary interviews and narratives from around the globe.

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, Rumi has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

These were all aspects of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

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

"As kids, your surroundings influences your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. 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 young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when she was young.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first time of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

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

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.

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

The movie was launched amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

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

Reports have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the racism she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and something to unite us as one."

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

The actress acknowledges she is aware 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.

"Sure, I believe they're going to have AI actors and singers. I know they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the platform or the production company, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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