🔗 Share this article

This feature delves into extraordinary interviews and narratives from worldwide.

"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," reveals the actress, who portrayed the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from dark powers, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

These elements were aspects of her formative years that mirrored the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my life, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

"As kids, what you see influences who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – 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 says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first instance 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 the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

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

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho understood that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like there's a sense of despair," 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 we just needed some hope and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences around the world are calling for a follow-up.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

• Starting conversations, building connections and combating false narratives through features, investigations, interviews and remarkable accounts