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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says the actress, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become someone else.

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

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho says many Korean-Americans have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it kind of sucks to say 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 meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, she came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the society and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

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

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element all together."

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

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I understand our voices are already being altered, 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 multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are calling for a follow-up.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm 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, the feedback is positive," she says. "So we shall see, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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