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

Cho, 40, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her true nature 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 people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my life, I despised many parts of me and I wanted to be someone else.

"As kids, what you see influences who you become and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

She notes many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first time of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"In my view K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

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

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel 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 says.

The film was released amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, 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 in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the world and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Due to this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element all together."

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

Cho acknowledges she is aware that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I know they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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