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This exclusive piece delves into extraordinary interviews and narratives from around the globe.

"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals the actress, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she explains.

These were all components of her formative years that mirrored the character's path.

"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, what you see shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The film was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, she understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger 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 it seems the world and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness 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 advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

The actress says she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, 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 know they already exist. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have some respect and desire for something real."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are calling for a sequel.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the question of if a sequel is planned – 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 there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if it didn't happen."

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