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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful 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 eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her true nature as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

These elements were aspects of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my life, I despised many parts of me and I wanted to be someone else.

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

Cho notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and culture.

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

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress admits 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 it's a risk," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, 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 was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Because of this, it feels very special, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is conscious that technology is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals 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 understand our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and want and love for authentic creations."

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

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I think fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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