🔗 Share this article

This feature delves into remarkable conversations and stories from around the globe.

"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, forty, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in the United States.

In the film, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must save the world from dark powers, the protagonist has to accept her identity as a hybrid being – and when Cho first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.

"Growing up in the US, identifying as American but having people treat me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-American, as a female," she says.

These were all aspects of her early life that mirrored the character's path.

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

"As kids, your surroundings shapes who you become and I feel like I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just 14 days, and reached 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 Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when in her youth.

Cho 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 culture.

"I feel like Korean pop music really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe the film is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.

But the film's success was uncertain and the actress says she felt the production crew were "occasionally struggling against odds".

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

So, when she accepted the part, 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 extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in many states.

As an Asian-American living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Newcomers have made America what it is."

Reports have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an adult, she came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when in her youth stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"However today, in the modern era, when I feel like the society and individuals ought to be more informed, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.

Due to this, it feels very special, she says, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to various groups".

"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like this movie of the summer, because we just needed some hope and something to unite us all together."

The growth of AI is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to produce a movie like the animation.

Cho says she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still seek out art created by humans.

"Sure, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated, but I hope people have some respect and desire for authentic creations."

The film has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan creations, and viewers globally are demanding 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 wait for the platform or the production company, which made the film, 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 believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

• Initiating discussions, fostering relationships and challenging misinformation through features, investigations, conversations and extraordinary stories