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

"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says Arden Cho, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

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

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from dark powers, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like a foreigner, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

These elements were components of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.

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

"During childhood, your surroundings influences who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in June, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for Asian-American children, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

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

"I feel like Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film in person, she adds.

The film was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

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

As an adult, Cho understood that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and people 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's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the film industry, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure there will be digital performers and singers. I know they already exist. I understand our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope people have some respect and want and love 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 art, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service 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. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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