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This exclusive piece explores remarkable conversations and narratives from around the globe.

"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," reveals the actress, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, 40, is describing her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first saw the screenplay, 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 Asian-American, as a female," she says.

These elements were aspects of her early life that mirrored Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings influences your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature achieved 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 Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when she was young.

Cho notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first time of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"I feel like 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 this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it kind of sucks to mention this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like it's a risk," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

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

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

Korean news sources have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, Cho understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when it seems the society and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

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

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element as one."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have some respect and want and love for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are calling for a sequel.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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