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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards at the time," says the actress, who portrayed Rumi in Netflix's highly successful movie, KPop Demon Hunters.

Cho, forty, is describing her childhood in the southern state, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.

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 identity as part human, part demon – and when Cho first read the script, this struck a deep chord.

"Being born in America, feeling American but having others view me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Asian-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she says.

These elements were aspects of her early life that paralleled the character's path.

"I can honestly say, at various stages in my existence, I despised a lot of myself and I wanted to be a different person.

"As kids, your surroundings shapes your development and it seems I just didn't see enough people that look like me."

When it launched on Netflix in the summer, the animated feature registered 33 million views in just 14 days, and secured the top 10 of the Netflix charts in 93 countries. To star in the first Hollywood animated film with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also made her a inspiring figure for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when she was young.

Cho notes many Korean-Americans have told her it's "such a refreshing moment", making them feel pride for the first instance of their mixed background and cultural roots.

"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. 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, currently," she comments.

But the movie's triumph was uncertain and the actress admits she felt the production crew were "sometimes facing an uphill battle".

"I feel like it kind of sucks to mention this, but any time there's an production with Asian leads, it's perceived like a gamble," she says.

So, when she accepted the part, she made an effort to meet the entire cast and crew in person, she says.

The movie was launched against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the United States as part of mass deportation efforts, which triggered demonstrations in numerous regions.

As an person of Asian descent residing in America "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," says Cho. "Immigrants have made America what it is."

Reports have estimated that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea lacking legal status, including adopted children, are among those who could be deported.

As an grown-up, she came to realise that the prejudice she had encountered when she was younger stemmed mainly from a knowledge gap, as many were unaware what it signified to be of Asian descent.

"But now, in the modern era, when I feel like the world and people should know better, it's deeply disheartening and sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless," she expresses.

Because of this, it's particularly meaningful, she notes, that the film could bring "hope and joy and love to all these different communities".

"Maybe that's why it's sort of like the season's hit film, because there was a need for positivity and a unifying element as one."

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

Cho says she is aware that AI is already being used to copy actors' voices, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that audiences will still seek out human-made creativity.

"Certainly, I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and singers. I'm aware they already exist. I understand our 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 leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its score appearing in the Billboard Hot 100. It has its own fan art, and audiences around the world are calling for a sequel.

Cho tells us she wishes she could answer the inquiry of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the streaming service or the studio, 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 everyone in the world would protest if there wasn't."

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