Animated Film KPop Demon Hunters Actress Shares The Ways Her Personal Path Mirrored Main Character's Story

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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says the actress, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, 40, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she explains.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my life, I despised a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature registered 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 with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

She says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like 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 "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

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

The film was launched amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, she came to realise 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.

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

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and a unifying element as one."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe there will be AI actors and singers. I know they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have some respect and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are demanding a sequel.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if it didn't happen."

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