🔗 Share this article

This feature delves into remarkable conversations and narratives from worldwide.

"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging 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, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and the actress says she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like 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 took steps to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

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

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

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the racism she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a lack of education, 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 at times I feel like there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

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

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us all together."

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

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

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

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences around the world are calling for a follow-up.

Cho reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the platform or the production company, which made the film, to give it the green light.

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

• Starting conversations, building connections and challenging misinformation through features, in-depth reports, conversations and remarkable accounts