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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals the actress, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea 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 evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho 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 identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

These were all components of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become someone else.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first time of their dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

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

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

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho understood that the racism she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the society and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the film industry, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Sure, I'm sure there will be digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have some respect and want and love for something real."

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are demanding a sequel.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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