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This feature delves into extraordinary interviews and narratives from around the globe.

"{I hated that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and blonde hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals the actress, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

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

In the film, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to accept her identity as part human, part demon – and when she first read the script, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Asian-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I hated many parts of me and I longed to become a different person.

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

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of 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 powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the type that she lacked when in her youth.

Cho notes many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first instance of their dual heritage and cultural roots.

"In my view Korean pop music 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, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was not guaranteed and Cho admits she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew face-to-face, she adds.

The film was launched amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers have shaped the nation."

Korean news sources have estimated that up to 150,000 Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

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

"But now, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because there was a need for some hope and a unifying element all together."

The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in future it could be used to produce a film like the animation.

Cho says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I believe they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I know they're already here. I know our voices are already being altered, but I trust people have appreciation and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been leading the global music charts, with multiple songs from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and audiences globally are demanding a sequel.

She tells us she wishes she could answer the question of if a sequel is planned – but both everyone involved will have to wait for the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I think fans everywhere would protest if there wasn't."

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