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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," reveals the actress, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping movie, 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 the United States.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she explains.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings influences your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", 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 a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it kind of sucks to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

The movie was launched amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

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

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the racism she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in the modern era, when it seems the world and individuals should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us all together."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust people have appreciation and want and love for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a sequel.

She tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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