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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says the actress, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in the southern state, 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 rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept 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 people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

These were all aspects of her formative years that paralleled Rumi's journey.

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

"During childhood, what you see shapes who you become and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty 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, currently," she comments.

But the film's success was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants 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, she understood that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when it seems the society and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like the animation.

The actress says she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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