KPop Demon Hunters Star Reveals The Ways Her Personal Path Reflected Main Character's Story

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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, 40, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her true nature as part human, part demon – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, grappling with my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

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

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.

"As kids, what you see influences your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when she was young.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have told her 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 really, truly, has paved the way. 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, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.

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

"I feel like it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like a gamble," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

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, she 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 of Asian descent.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes it appears there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

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

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

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is aware that technology is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still seek out art created by humans.

"Sure, I'm sure there will be AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope people have some respect and desire for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters 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 creations, and viewers globally are demanding a sequel.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the platform or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she says. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."

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