KPop Demon Hunters Star Reveals The Ways Her Personal Path Mirrored Main Character's Experience

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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's highly successful animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my life, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, KPop Demon Hunters achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when in her youth.

She says many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first instance of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact 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," Cho says.

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

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like a gamble," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The film was released against the backdrop of increased immigration raids in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the racism she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element as one."

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 aware that AI is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Sure, I'm sure there will be AI actors and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public 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 appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers around the world are calling for 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 platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to give it the green light.

"I know rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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