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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents 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 evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity 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 I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

These were all aspects of her early life that mirrored the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, what you see shapes who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when she was young.

Cho 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 dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like a gamble," 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 launched amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, she came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

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

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element all together."

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 produce a film like the animation.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I know they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are calling for a sequel.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to wait for 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 says. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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