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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's highly successful movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, is describing her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

These elements were components of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.

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

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, 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 she lacked when in her youth.

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

"I feel like Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics 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 admits she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

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

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

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Reports have suggested that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, she came to realise that the racism she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness 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 as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make 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 seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I know they're already here. I know our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have some respect and want and love for authentic creations."

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

She reveals she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I think fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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