🔗 Share this article

This feature explores remarkable conversations and stories from around the globe.

"{I hated that I looked Asian, that I didn't have light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, recalls her early years in the southern state, as the firstborn child of parents who emigrated from Korea and her journey toward belonging in the United States.

In the movie, which narrates the tale of a girl group who must save the world from dark powers, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this struck a deep chord.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my identity as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she explains.

These elements were components of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."

When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just 14 days, and secured the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

Cho notes many individuals of Korean descent have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first instance of their dual heritage and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence 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 movie's triumph was uncertain and Cho admits she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

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

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

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

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's deeply saddening," says Cho. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

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

As an adult, she understood that the racism she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it meant to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when it seems the society and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element as one."

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 make a film like the animation.

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

"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are calling for a follow-up.

Cho reveals she would like to confirm the inquiry of if a sequel is planned – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the production company, which produced the movie, to approve the project.

"I'm aware there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I think everyone in the world would riot if it didn't happen."

• Starting conversations, fostering relationships and challenging misinformation through features, in-depth reports, conversations and extraordinary stories