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This exclusive piece explores extraordinary interviews and stories from worldwide.

"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, is describing her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature 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 others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

These elements were components of her formative years that mirrored Rumi's journey.

"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I hated many parts of me and I wanted to be a different person.

"During childhood, what you see influences your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the type that she lacked when she was young.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

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

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, 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 Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

Cho says she is aware that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

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

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally 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 streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I'm aware rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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