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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I didn't have blue eyes and fair hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says Arden Cho, who portrayed Rumi in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.
The performer, forty, is describing her early years in the southern state, 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 girl group who must save the world from evil forces, the protagonist has to come to terms with her true nature as part human, part demon – and when she first saw the screenplay, this resonated powerfully.
"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having others view me like I'm not, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she says.
These elements were components of her formative years that paralleled the character's path.
"Truthfully, at various stages in my existence, I despised many parts of me and I wanted to be a different person.
"As kids, your surroundings shapes who you become and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."
When it debuted on the platform in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters achieved 33 million views in just two weeks, and secured the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To be part of the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Asian protagonists, was for Cho "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when in her youth.
She notes many Korean-Americans have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first time of their mixed background and culture.
"I feel like K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I believe this movie is the one that pushed it further, 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's unfortunate to say this, but any time there's an Asian-led project, people feel like it's a risk," she says.
So, when she accepted the part, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film in person, she says.
The film was released 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 person of Asian descent living in the US "it's deeply saddening," she states. "Newcomers 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 prejudice she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a lack of education, as many were unaware what it meant to be Korean or Asian.
"However today, in the modern era, when it seems the society and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and at times I feel like we feel so hopeless," she says.
Because of this, it feels very special, she notes, that the film could bring "optimism and happiness to all these different communities".
"Perhaps this explains it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element all together."
The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a movie like KPop Demon Hunters.
The actress says she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but wants to "maintain faith in people" that individuals will still pursue art created by humans.
"Sure, I'm sure there will be digital performers and vocalists. I'm aware they already exist. I understand performers' voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have appreciation and want and love for something real."
The film has also been dominating the international music rankings, with multiple songs from its score featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and viewers globally are calling for a sequel.
Cho reveals she would like to confirm the question of whether that will happen – but both everyone involved will have to await the platform 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 there wasn't."
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