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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, 40, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when she first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I wanted to be a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes who you become and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when she was young.

She says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first instance of their dual heritage and culture.

"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

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 whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched against the backdrop of increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

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

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

As an adult, she understood that the racism she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people ought to be more informed, 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 KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love 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 growth of AI is a major concern for the film industry, raising the possibility 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 performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I hope people have appreciation and want and love for something real."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She tells us she would like to confirm the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to await the platform or the studio, which made the film, 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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