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"{I disliked that I looked Asian, that I lacked light-colored eyes and blonde hair, because those were the beauty standards back then," says the actress, who portrayed the lead character in Netflix's chart-topping movie, the K-pop themed animation.
Cho, forty, recalls her early years in Texas, as the firstborn child of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society.
In the movie, which narrates the tale of a female K-Pop trio 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 read the script, this resonated powerfully.
"Growing up in the US, feeling American but having people treat me like a foreigner, trying to figure out my sense of self as an Korean-American, as a Korean-American, as a woman," she says.
These elements were aspects of her formative years that paralleled the character's path.
"Truthfully, at different points in my life, I despised many parts of me and I longed to become someone else.
"As kids, what you see shapes your development and it seems I lacked exposure to enough people that shared my appearance."
When it launched on Netflix in June, the animated feature registered millions of streams in just two weeks, and reached the highest positions of the streaming rankings in 93 countries. To star in the pioneering animation with a Korean setting, with Korean leads, was for her "an aspiration realized" – but it has also established her as a powerful role model for young Asian-Americans, the type that was missing when in her youth.
Cho says many individuals of Korean descent have expressed it's "a breath of fresh air", making them proud for the first time of their dual heritage and culture.
"I feel like K-Pop really, truly, has paved the way. K-beauty has had a significant influence on global appreciation for Korea. But I feel like this movie is the one that tipped it over the edge, of, everybody wants to go to Korea, currently," she comments.
But the film's success was uncertain and Cho says she felt the team making it were "occasionally struggling against odds".
"It seems it kind of sucks to mention this, but whenever there's an production with Asian leads, people feel like it's a risk," she says.
So, when she took on the role, she took steps to connect with the entire cast and crew in person, she says.
The movie was released against the backdrop of heightened enforcement actions in the US as part of extensive removal policies, which sparked protests in numerous regions.
As an person of Asian descent living in the US "it's heartbreaking and disappointing," she states. "Immigrants have shaped the nation."
Reports have suggested that up to one hundred fifty thousand individuals from Korea without proper documentation, including adopted children, are among those who could be removed.
As an grown-up, she came to realise that the prejudice she had experienced 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.
"However today, in this day and age, when I feel like the world and individuals should know better, it is beyond disappointing and at times it appears we feel so hopeless," she says.
Due to this, it feels very special, she notes, that KPop Demon Hunters 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 we just needed positivity and something to unite us as one."
The advancement of artificial intelligence is a major concern for the entertainment sector, creating the potential that in coming years it could be used to make a film like KPop Demon Hunters.
The actress acknowledges she is aware that technology is already being used to copy performers' vocals, but wants to "have hope in humanity" that individuals will still pursue human-made creativity.
"Sure, I'm sure there will be digital performers and singers. I'm aware they're already here. I know our voices are already being altered, but I hope the public have appreciation and want and love for something real."
The film has also been leading the global music charts, with seven tracks from its soundtrack appearing in the prestigious charts. It has its own fan creations, and audiences around the world are calling for a follow-up.
Cho reveals she wishes she could answer the question of whether that will happen – but both she and fans will have to await the platform or the studio, which made the film, to give it the green light.
"I know there's lots of murmurs, the feedback is positive," she shares. "So we shall see, and I believe everyone in the world would riot if there wasn't."
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