Animated Film KPop Demon Hunters Actress Reveals How Her Life Journey Mirrored Protagonist's Story

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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says the actress, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, 40, recalls her early years in the southern state, 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 rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"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 female," she explains.

These were all components of her formative years that mirrored Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings influences your development and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when in her youth.

She notes many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I feel like the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

The film was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an adult, Cho understood that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the world 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 "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and something to unite us as one."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a film like the animation.

Cho acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still pursue art created by humans.

"Sure, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being altered, but I trust the public have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer 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 approve the project.

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

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