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This feature delves into extraordinary interviews and stories from around the globe.

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling 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 explains.

These elements were aspects of her formative years that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

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

"In my view K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, she understood that the racism she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it feels very special, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element as one."

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 make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out art created by humans.

"Sure, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public have some respect and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are calling for a follow-up.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think fans everywhere would riot if it didn't happen."

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