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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, is describing her early years in Texas, 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 female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

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

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

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

"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

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

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like a gamble," 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 movie was launched amid heightened enforcement actions 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 deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, she came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified 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 is beyond disappointing and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and something to unite us 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 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 individuals will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust people have some respect and want and love for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are demanding a follow-up.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if it didn't happen."

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