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

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, recalls her early years in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her identity as a hybrid being – and when she first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a woman," she explains.

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

"Truthfully, at different points in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to 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 secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind 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 cultural roots.

"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on Korea being loved. But I believe this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

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

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

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

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

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

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

As an grown-up, she came to realise that the racism she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as many were unaware what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she says, that KPop Demon Hunters could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like the season's hit film, because we just needed positivity and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future 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 performers' vocals, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Sure, I believe there will be AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they're already here. I know our voices are already being altered, but I trust the public have some respect and desire for something real."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are demanding a sequel.

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 platform or the production company, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she shares. "So we shall see, and I think fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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