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"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

Cho, forty, recalls her childhood in Texas, as the firstborn child 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 save the world from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her true nature as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"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 Asian-American, as a woman," she says.

These were all components of her formative years that paralleled Rumi's journey.

"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.

"During childhood, your surroundings shapes who you become and I feel like I just didn't see sufficient individuals that shared my appearance."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for her "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the kind that was missing when in her youth.

Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe this movie 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 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 whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet the entire cast and crew in person, she adds.

The film was released amid heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which sparked protests in many states.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants without proper documentation, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, Cho came to realise that the racism 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 the modern era, when it seems the society and people ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Due to 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 the season's hit film, because we just needed some hope and something to unite us all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the film industry, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

The actress acknowledges she is conscious that technology is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have digital performers and singers. I know they already exist. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have some respect and want and love for something real."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are calling for a follow-up.

She reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

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