Animated Film KPop Demon Hunters Actress Reveals The Ways Her Life Journey Reflected Main Character's Experience

This exclusive piece delves into extraordinary interviews and narratives from around the globe.

"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

The performer, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

These were all aspects of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

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

"During childhood, 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 June, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

Cho notes many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film is the one that pushed it further, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, now," Cho says.

But the film's success was uncertain and the actress says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

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

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to meet everyone working on the film in person, she says.

The film was released against the backdrop of 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. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

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

As an adult, she understood that the racism she had encountered when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when it seems the world and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it became 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 entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I know they're already here. I know performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are demanding a sequel.

She reveals she would like to confirm the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

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

• Initiating discussions, fostering relationships and challenging misinformation through features, investigations, conversations and remarkable accounts