KPop Demon Hunters Actress Reveals The Ways Her Personal Path Reflected Protagonist's Experience

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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, 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 struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, 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 a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

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

"As kids, what you see shapes 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, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud 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 Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like a gamble," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The film was launched amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

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

As an grown-up, she understood that the racism 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 I feel like there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

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 the season's hit film, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Sure, I believe they're going to have digital performers and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are demanding a follow-up.

She tells us she wishes she could answer 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, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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