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This feature 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 blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals the actress, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from dark powers, the protagonist 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.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

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

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached 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 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 kind that she lacked when in her youth.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics 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, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but whenever 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 everyone working on the film in person, she says.

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

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 deported.

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Because of this, it feels very special, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became 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 significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that technology is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still seek out 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 the public have some respect and want and love for something real."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its score featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are calling for a follow-up.

She tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, 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 believe everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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