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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked light-colored eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals the actress, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's chart-topping animated film, the K-pop themed animation.

The performer, 40, recalls 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 narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio who must rescue humanity from evil forces, Rumi has to come to terms with her true nature as a hybrid being – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Asian-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 existence, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be someone else.

"During childhood, what you see influences your development and it seems I lacked exposure to sufficient individuals that look like me."

When it debuted on the platform in the summer, the animated feature achieved millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "a dream come true" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the type that was missing when she was young.

Cho notes many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first time of their mixed background and culture.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. Korean cosmetics has had such a big impact on Korea being loved. But I feel like 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 uncertain and Cho says she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"It seems it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she says.

So, when she took on the role, she made an effort to connect with everyone working on the film in person, she says.

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

As an Asian-American residing in America "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

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

As an adult, Cho came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced when she was younger was largely due to a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

"But now, in this day and age, when it seems the society and individuals ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and at times it appears there's a sense of despair," she says.

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

"Perhaps this explains it became this movie of the summer, because we just needed 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 future it could be used to produce a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.

The actress says she is aware that technology is already being used to copy actors' voices, but aims to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure there will be AI actors and singers. I know they're already here. I understand performers' voices are already being manipulated, but I hope the public have appreciation and want and love for something real."

KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are demanding a follow-up.

She reveals she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the streaming service or the studio, which made the film, to approve the project.

"I know there's lots of murmurs, I've heard wonderful things," she says. "So we shall see, and I believe fans everywhere would protest if it didn't happen."

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