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"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, 40, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must save the world from dark powers, Rumi has to accept her true nature as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

These were all components of her formative years that mirrored Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when she was young.

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

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The film was launched amid heightened enforcement actions 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 deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants 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 adult, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us 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 produce a movie like the animation.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have digital performers and vocalists. I know they already exist. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, 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 viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to await the platform or the production company, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think fans everywhere would protest if it didn't happen."

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