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"{I disliked that I had Asian features, that I lacked blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," reveals Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character in the streaming platform's chart-topping movie, KPop Demon Hunters.
The performer, forty, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the firstborn child 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 evil forces, Rumi has to accept her true nature as a hybrid being – and when she first read the script, this struck a deep chord.
"Being born in America, identifying as American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my identity as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a female," she explains.
These elements were components of her early life that paralleled Rumi's journey.
"I can honestly say, at various stages in my life, I hated a lot of myself and I longed to become a different person.
"During childhood, your surroundings shapes who you become and it seems I just didn't see enough people that shared my appearance."
When it launched on Netflix in the summer, KPop Demon Hunters registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the streaming rankings in dozens of nations. To be part of the pioneering animation set in Korea, with Asian protagonists, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a powerful role model for Asian-American children, the kind that was missing when in her youth.
Cho notes many Korean-Americans have told her it's "a breath of fresh air", making them feel pride for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.
"In my view K-Pop has genuinely broken barriers. Korean cosmetics has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that pushed it further, of, inspiring travel to Korea, now," she comments.
But the film's success was not guaranteed and the actress says she felt the team making it were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".
"It seems it's unfortunate to mention this, but whenever there's an Asian-led project, it's perceived like it's a risk," she reveals.
So, when she took on the role, she took steps to meet everyone working on the film in person, she says.
The film was launched amid increased immigration raids in the US as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in many states.
As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Newcomers have made America what it is."
Korean news sources have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, 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 in her youth was largely due to a knowledge gap, as people didn't know what it signified to be of Asian descent.
"But now, in the modern era, when it seems the world and people ought to be more informed, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.
Due to this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters 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 as one."
The advancement of artificial intelligence is a significant worry for the film industry, creating the potential that in future it could be used to make a movie like the animation.
Cho acknowledges she is aware that AI is already being used to replicate actors' voices, but aims to "maintain faith in people" that audiences will still pursue human-made creativity.
"Certainly, I believe there will be digital performers and singers. I know they're already here. I understand our voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have some respect and desire for something real."
KPop Demon Hunters has also been dominating the global music charts, with multiple songs from its score featured on the prestigious charts. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are calling for a sequel.
She reveals she wishes she could answer the inquiry 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 shares. "Only time will tell, and I believe everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."
