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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having people treat me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

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

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

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

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 mixed background and cultural roots.

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like 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 the actress admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to say this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

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

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, she came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when it seems the world and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, 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 technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service 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 says. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would protest if it didn't happen."

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