🔗 Share this article

This exclusive piece explores remarkable conversations and narratives from worldwide.

"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, recalls her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, feeling 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 explains.

These were all components of her formative years that paralleled the character's path.

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

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when in her youth.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

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

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

The film was launched amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, she understood that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and something to unite us all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is conscious that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I know they already exist. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I trust the public have some respect and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a follow-up.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to wait for the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if it didn't happen."

• Initiating discussions, building connections and combating false narratives through features, in-depth reports, interviews and extraordinary stories