🔗 Share this article

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

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

The performer, forty, is describing her childhood in Texas, 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 girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

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

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

"During childhood, what you see shapes your development and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that was missing when in her youth.

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

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

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

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

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released against the backdrop of increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, Cho understood that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the society and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

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

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I understand our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have some respect and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding 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 await the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

• Starting conversations, building connections and combating false narratives through articles, investigations, interviews and remarkable accounts