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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals the actress, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, is describing her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – 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, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

These elements were components of her early life that mirrored the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, what you see influences who you become and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – 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. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like 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 not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

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

The film was released amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, she understood that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the world and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

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

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the film industry, creating the potential that in future it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' 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 multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are demanding a sequel.

She tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think fans everywhere would protest if there wasn't."

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