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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals the actress, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in the southern state, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become someone else.

"During childhood, your surroundings influences your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

She says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie 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 the actress says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea lacking legal status, 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 she was younger stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes 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 various groups".

"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 film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that technology is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public have appreciation and want and love for something real."

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are calling for a follow-up.

Cho 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 production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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