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This exclusive piece delves into extraordinary interviews and narratives from worldwide.

"{I disliked that I had Asian features, 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 chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, is describing her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter 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 rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my life, I despised a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the Netflix charts 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 powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

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

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain and Cho says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems 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 made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The movie was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, she came to realise that the racism she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know 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 is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element as one."

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

Cho says she is aware that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure there will be digital performers and singers. I know they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have some respect and want and love for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

Cho reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the platform or the production company, 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. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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