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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

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

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters registered millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.

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

The movie was released amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

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

Korean news sources have estimated 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, she understood that the racism she had experienced when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the world and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for some hope and something to unite us as one."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still seek out art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I know our voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and audiences around the world are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would protest if it didn't happen."

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