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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

These elements were aspects of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"During childhood, what you see shapes who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when in her youth.

She says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," she comments.

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

"I feel like it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The movie was launched against the backdrop of increased immigration raids in the United States 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 shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, she came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when it seems the world and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

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's sort of like the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element as one."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I know they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public have some respect and want and love for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

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

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