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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed 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 American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with 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 the character's path.

"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, what you see shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, 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 "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the film's success was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like it's a risk," she says.

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

The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, she came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element as one."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the film industry, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

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

"Sure, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and vocalists. I know they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are demanding a sequel.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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