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

The performer, 40, is describing her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from dark powers, the protagonist has to come to terms with her true nature 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 people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she explains.

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

"Truthfully, at different points in my existence, I hated a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

She 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.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress says she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

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

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched amid increased immigration raids in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

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

As an grown-up, she understood that the racism she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like there's a sense of despair," she says.

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

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element as one."

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

The actress acknowledges she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I believe there will be AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know rumors are circulating, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would protest if it didn't happen."

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