Animated Film KPop Demon Hunters Star Reveals The Ways Her Life Journey Mirrored Protagonist's Story

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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful at the time," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, is describing her early years in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.

These elements were aspects of her formative years that mirrored the character's path.

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I wanted to be someone else.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when she was young.

She says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first time of their dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

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

"It seems it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she adds.

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

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 one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the racism she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it became the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and something to unite us as one."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the film industry, raising the possibility that in coming years it could be used to make a film like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that technology 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'm sure they're going to have digital performers and singers. I know they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, 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 score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are calling for a follow-up.

Cho tells us she would like to confirm the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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