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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says the actress, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

These were all components of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, what you see shapes who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the type that she lacked when she was young.

She says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance 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 the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

The film was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have estimated 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 she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the society and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

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".

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and a unifying element as one."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the film industry, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

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

"Sure, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and want and love for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are demanding a sequel.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the streaming service 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 fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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