KPop Demon Hunters Star Reveals The Ways Her Personal Path Mirrored Main Character's Experience

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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says the actress, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, 40, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from dark powers, Rumi has to accept her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

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

"As kids, your surroundings influences who you become and I feel like I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, 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 was missing when in her youth.

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

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever 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 released amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American 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 Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

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

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and something to unite us as one."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

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

"Sure, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its soundtrack featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, 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 wait for the platform or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if there wasn't."

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