🔗 Share this article

This exclusive piece delves into remarkable conversations and stories from worldwide.

"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea 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 come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my life, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, what you see shapes who you become and it seems I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have told her 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 such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

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

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 Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested 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, she 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.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Because of this, it feels very special, she notes, that the film 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 a unifying element as one."

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

The actress acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a sequel.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if it didn't happen."

• Starting conversations, building connections and combating false narratives through articles, investigations, interviews and remarkable accounts