🔗 Share this article

This feature delves into remarkable conversations and stories from around the globe.

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says the actress, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, is describing her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging 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 Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like I'm not, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points in my life, I despised many parts of me and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, what you see shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of 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 young Asian-Americans, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

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

"I feel like 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 pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain 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 any time 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 everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The film was released amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

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

Reports have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, she understood that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a film like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still seek out art created by humans.

"Sure, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I know they're already here. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I trust people have some respect and want and love for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are calling for a sequel.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I'm aware rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if it didn't happen."

• Starting conversations, fostering relationships and combating false narratives through features, in-depth reports, interviews and extraordinary stories