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This exclusive piece delves into extraordinary interviews and stories from around the globe.

"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, 40, recalls her childhood in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when she first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she explains.

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

"Truthfully, 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 it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in 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 Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when in her youth.

She says 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 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 pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress admits she felt the team making it 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, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions 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 heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested 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, Cho understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, 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 notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

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

"Sure, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I know they're already here. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I trust the public have appreciation and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are demanding a follow-up.

She reveals 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 made the film, 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 think fans everywhere would protest if there wasn't."

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