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

"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she explains.

These elements were aspects of her formative years that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"I can honestly say, at different points in my existence, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings influences who you become and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – 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 notes many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first time of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"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 the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it's unfortunate to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived 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 face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger was largely due to 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 individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to make a film like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Sure, I believe they're going to have AI actors and singers. I know they're already here. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for something real."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are demanding a sequel.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the production company, which produced the movie, 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 think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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