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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because that's what was beautiful back then," says the actress, who voiced the lead character in Netflix's highly successful animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, 40, is describing her childhood in Texas, as the eldest daughter of parents who emigrated from Korea and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

In the movie, which tells the story of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi 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, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, grappling with my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she says.

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

"Truthfully, at various stages in my life, I hated many parts of me and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, what you see shapes your development and I feel like I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and reached the highest positions of the Netflix charts in dozens of nations. To star in the first Hollywood animated film set in Korea, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that she lacked when she was young.

She notes many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"In my view Korean pop music has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had such a big impact on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like the film is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, inspiring travel to Korea, currently," Cho says.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".

"It seems it's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to connect with everyone working on the film face-to-face, she says.

The movie was released against the backdrop of increased immigration raids in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which triggered demonstrations in many states.

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

Korean news sources have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand Korean immigrants lacking legal status, including those who were adopted, are among those who could be removed.

As an grown-up, Cho understood that the racism she had encountered when in her youth was largely due to a lack of education, as people didn't know what it signified to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in the modern era, when it seems the society and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and sometimes I feel like there's a sense of despair," she expresses.

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

"Perhaps this explains it became the season's hit film, because we just needed some hope and a unifying element all together."

The growth of AI is a major concern for the entertainment sector, raising the possibility that in future it could be used to produce a film like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is conscious that AI is already being used to replicate performers' vocals, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.

"Certainly, I'm sure there will be AI actors and vocalists. 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."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the international music rankings, with seven tracks from its score featured on the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences globally are calling for a follow-up.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer 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 rumors are circulating, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "Only time will tell, and I think fans everywhere would riot if there wasn't."

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