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This exclusive piece delves into remarkable conversations and narratives from around the globe.

"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, 40, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her true nature as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, what you see influences your development and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

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

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success 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 Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, she understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the world and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope 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.

Cho says she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have digital performers and singers. I know they're already here. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust the public have some respect and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if there wasn't."

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