K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Arden Cho: I was born in America, but wasn’t seen as American

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? the History Bureau Putin and the Apartment Bombs listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts with the European Athletics Championships the Men's FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games all taking place 2026 is shaping up to be a terrific year for global sport and the More Than The Score podcast will be following all the action bringing you interviews with sports stars and exploring the stories beyond the score sheets with the BBC's expert sports journalists More Than The Score from the BBC World Service.

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1:15Hello, I'm BBC correspondent Chichi Zindhu and this is the interview from the BBC World Service. The best conversations coming out of the BBC. People shaping our world from all over the world. Today we are spending trivians on war and peanuts on peace. Wind power in the United States has been subsidized for 33 years. Isn't that enough? Solar for 25 years. That's enough. I don't have army. I don't have missile rockets. I have my body. I have my voice. I love singing and so my goal was always to do better and better at it. I was still in an induced coma in hospital when the world was defining me.

1:56For this interview, I met actor Arden Cho, star of the chart-topping animated film K-pop Demon Hunters in Los Angeles. She's the voice of Rumi, a leading character who must come to terms with her own identity as part human, part demon. It's a duality that resonated powerfully with Arden Cho as the daughter of Korean immigrants who struggled for acceptance and faced racism growing up in America. Now, Korean culture is increasingly popular worldwide. And she's become a leading role model for Asian American children, the kind she says she lacked when she was young. It's just been really, really interesting the amount of conversations and letters I've received and kind words from, again, other Korean Americans or minorities who are like, this has been such a refreshing moment in time where for the first time, I'm really proud to be Korean, to be Korean American and proud that everybody wants to know about our food and our culture and our clothes and our music.

3:04And it's really healing to have these conversations with other Korean Americans who are like, wait, you were made fun of too for your lunch? You know, so many of us have done the thing where we throw our lunch away or hide our food from our parents because we don't want to get made fun of or because someone says it smells just because it's different. K-pop Demon Hunters is Netflix's most watched film ever but despite its success Arden Cho warns that Asian-led film projects are still seen as a risk. Welcome to the interview from the BBC World Service with Arden Cho. I was born and raised in Texas.

3:47I went to high school in Minnesota and college in Illinois. So I always tell everyone I'm sort of from everywhere. Feels like. So would you call yourself an all-American girl? Yeah. I feel like sometimes I'm like a little Midwest, a little Southern, but yeah, definitely American. So let's get into K-pop Demon Hunters because that is completely blown up. Were you expecting such a reaction to the film? I mean, this kind of reaction, I don't think anyone could have predicted. But I was quite confident that it would do well and that it would be loved. I knew there was an audience for it. I mean, it was like the type of movie I dreamed of having when I was a little girl.

4:33And I just, I'm such a big fan of animations. And I felt like the story was good. And once I started seeing the art and the animation and the voices all coming together. And then when I watched the screener with the music, I was like, oh, I mean, it's like slammed up. Because you play Rumi, who has, if you want to describe it, a tumultuous time. She's discovering herself, coming to terms with herself. What attracted you to that character? You know, initially, I just was so excited by the entire concept of the movie, right? You hear or you read K-pop demon hunters. And how could I not be excited?

5:17I've grown up loving K-pop. Demon hunting is, you know, a bit supernatural and fun. And I feel like I've always loved that type of world. and knowing it was an animation, knowing that it was set in Korea, and then getting into the story of three female leads who are all strong, funny, fierce, beautiful, but also vulnerable and real and flawed. I feel like there was a part of me that was, if I could just even touch a project like this, just to say that I got to be in the first Hollywood animated film with Korea as a backdrop, with Korean leads. So then, you know, to get the callback for Rumi was a dream come true.

6:05But it almost never happened because you'd quit, quit. I had, I had. You know, it's so interesting because I had a show called Partner Track and it was like my baby. My first show as a one on Netflix. You know, my first time being a lead of a series. and I think I had given so much of myself and that show felt like it was just the beginning. It felt like season one was just laying the groundwork and there was so much more to be told but to have such a abrupt, quick ending felt like just immense heartbreak and I hit a point in my career where I just thought, you know what, I think that's it for me.

6:46I didn't think I could take it anymore. The disappointment, the failure, the feeling of almost like hopelessness, you know, trying to be a woman, trying to fight to be seen, fight to be heard. And as an Asian American woman, it was hard. And with Partner Track, there was a moment that I thought, oh, this is my chance. You know, it's me on the poster. This is my chance to hopefully show young Asian American women that we can be the main character, that we can be the lead of our stories. And again, when it was canceled, I thought, oh, I failed. Or it's just never going to happen in my lifetime or my career.

7:26Or that, yeah, again, that that was it. And I had taken about over a year traveling, doing things I'd always kind of wanted to try. And again, no auditions, nothing. And my agent, who sort of refused to quit or refused to leave, Jennifer would send me some emails here and there of, hey, what about this? And usually it would be like, no, I'm okay. I'm done, done. But then she would send me certain things when it was a Korean writer or a Korean director or an Asian writer. And I have such a such a soft spot for wanting to work with people who I feel like might relate with me and like understand that journey.

8:14And so I remember with K-pop Demon Hunters, the first thing I saw was Maggie Kang's name. And her last name is Kang. My mom is a Kang-shi. So Kang-shi means she's a Kang. So I'm a Kang. Even though my name is Arden Cho, my mom's side of the family were all Kangs. And so when I saw that, I was like, oh my God, she's Korean. And everyone I know who's a Kang is very strong and very hardworking. and you know that made me really excited and so I feel like from then I just knew if a Korean woman is writing this story and telling this story she's going to tell her story because I feel like it kind of sucks to say this but anytime there's an Asian-led project people feel like it's a risk or that it's a chance.

9:01I know that the creatives behind this project too we're sometimes facing an uphill battle and as often we all are but sometimes the result or the fruit is even more beautiful from it and it definitely has paid off so do you now consider the work that you've done on the film almost like a calling card for girls like yourself growing up in America, young American Asian girls to say there are barriers, but you can push through them? Oh, definitely. I mean, when I read the script and when I sort of broke down Rumi, I was like, yes, her battle is really about her identity and her duality and her being part demon, part human.

9:52And though I'm not part even part human for some odd reason, it just felt so comfortable and natural because I knew what that felt like, right? Being born in America, feeling American, but having people treat me like I'm not, trying to figure out my identity as an Asian American, as a Korean American, as a woman. Like, there's just so many obstacles, which, again, I feel like for so long, it wasn't talked about. And then now I'm hitting the era of age. Age is also a big thing. And I think one of the most exciting things I've been realizing is how many women are so excited for just this moment in my career, but also being like, I grew up with you and my daughters think I'm cool now because I knew you before they knew you.

10:46And we've found something to bond together with and I'm like, wait, my career has bonded your family? Like that is such a great honor. And also I'm like, huh, I guess you're right. Even I didn't think that I could have this kind of moment in my career at this point or this age. You know, for so many years I thought it was too late or that I missed it. And in a weird way, I'm like, I feel like now this is just the beginning.

11:19You're listening to the interview from the BBC World Service, people shaping our world from all over the world. If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

12:04With the European Athletics Championships, the Men's FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games all taking place, 2026 is shaping up to be a terrific year for global sport and the more than the score podcast will be following all the action bringing you interviews with sports stars and exploring the stories beyond the score sheets with the bbc's expert sports journalists more than the score from the bbc world service listen now search for more than the score wherever you get your bbc podcasts

12:40For this episode of The Interview, I'm speaking to Korean-American actor Arden Cho. This interview is taking place in a beautiful home in Los Angeles. It sits on top of a hill so we can look down across the sprawling city. We're a bit hidden away up in the trees, but it is so picturesque here. When Arden Cho walked in, it was such a warm, friendly hello. She hugged everyone in the room. There was nothing fussy about her. She was just all smiles. She was just an everyday girl who happened to be in one of the most popular films of the year and in Netflix's history. OK, let's return to my conversation with Arden Cho.

13:27So I want to touch on something that you said about race and America, because it's a conversation that has re-erupted largely down to what's been going on with the immigration ICE agents, that's immigration agents. Being Asian American, living in the United States whilst that's going on around you, how does that make you feel? I mean, it's heartbreaking and disappointing. Immigrants have made America what it is. I feel like I grew up experiencing so much racism, but I felt like as an adult, I found a lot of peace knowing that a lot of it was because people were uneducated in what it meant to be Korean or Asian.

14:18They just didn't know. And if kids don't see someone who looks like me, They don't know. Kids, in my mind, it's like, oh, they didn't know better, right? And now, of course, if like teachers or adults were bullies to me and I experienced that, you know, now I know as an adult, like they're hurting people. I mean, they're hurt. They're broken themselves. And so I don't let that like affect me as much. But now in this day and age when I feel like the world and people should know better, it is beyond disappointing to say. sometimes I feel like we feel so hopeless but it does feel very special that a movie like k-pop demon hunters can bring so much hope and joy and love to all these different communities saying yeah this is what it's about and I'm like I don't know maybe that's why it's sort of like this movie of the summer of the years because we just needed some hope and something to unite us all together and say, I don't know, maybe we're just, we've all lost our way a bit.

15:29I guess I'm just a believer that life isn't meant to be lived alone or with the people just like you. I feel like communities and different cultures and people from all around the world is what makes life colorful and beautiful and worth living, right? It's so boring otherwise. And I can't believe I grew up so ashamed and embarrassed of my Korean culture, mainly because of bullies who just didn't know. They didn't know any better. And now those are the kids saying, oh, where do I find that food? Where do I listen to that music? Now, it's just been really, really interesting the amount of conversations and letters I've received and kind words from, again, other Korean Americans or minorities who are like, this has been such a refreshing moment in time where for the first time, I'm really proud to be Korean, to be Korean American and And proud that everybody wants to know about our food and our culture and our clothes and our music.

16:39And there's so much history woven into the movie. It's about so much more than just K-pop and demons, but everything. The amount of love and heart that was poured into this movie is so clear. You know, the artists, the animators, our directors, producers, everyone that touched this project is like honorary Korean. And I feel like it's really healing to have these conversations with other Korean Americans who are like, wait, you were made fun of too for your lunch? You know, so many of us have have done the thing where we throw our lunch away or hide our food from our parents because we don't want to get made fun of or because someone says it smells just because it's different.

17:30I mean, most of it doesn't even smell. Sure, kimchi smells a little, but it smells awesome. And if you don't like it, you don't like it, but it's okay. You don't have to make fun of it, you know? But now, like, all my nieces and nephews and all my friends' kids, they are so cool. They're like, they're just cool to be Korean, right? I mean, who knew? Who knew that an entire culture could sort of overnight become so so cool and loved and again we can't take all credit for it i feel like k-pop really truly has paved the way k-beauty has been such a big impact on korea being loved but i feel like this movie sort of is the one that tipped it over the edge of everybody wants to go to korea now it's been such a huge success an absolutely huge success So I feel like I'm just in this season where I'm really happy just to be here and I hope to continue making stories that make people feel good, that make people have great conversations, that bring hope and healing.

18:40And again, put women in a place where you can be all of it, right? K-pop Demon Hunters is one of the first movies where you see three female leads that are heroes, but they're strong, they're fierce, they're beautiful, they're funny, they're silly, they burp. Right? And I feel like quite often women are very boxed. You know, if you're strong, then you're not that pretty. If you're pretty, then you have to be like this damsel in distress. You know, and so I think it's time for us to really be assertive and be putting ourselves out there saying, I can tell my story. I can be the main character. I think for so long, I never thought I could be the main character.

19:28Even though I was the lead on Partner Track, I don't even think I ever really understood that. And I feel like it took me, the show being canceled and me sort of taking a hold of my career in a different way. Because it's not about what other people think or doing it for someone else. I feel like now, for the first time ever, I'm doing it for me. And even this movie, you know, I did it because I wanted to do it for Little Arden. so that I could be a part of a Korean animated movie that I would have wanted to see growing up so that every little girl I know or my future kids can watch it and feel like they're cool just by existing.

20:20And it was just, it was for me. Like, I needed it. and how cool is it that it ended up being for everyone so you quit quit the industry you took time out you'd had enough and then you do k-pop demon hunters because it's a project that you wanted to be part of and now there's oscar buzz yes how do you feel about that i mean hey that's it's incredible yeah never definitely never considered that never expected that but I feel like it'd be really meaningful and special for Koreans and Asian Americans in the business so I want to talk about Hollywood a little bit more Me Too was huge nearly 10 years ago now which in itself is shocking.

21:18But the new concern for a lot of people in the industry is AI. And some people would argue that K-pop demon hunters is a prime example of how AI could be used to, whether it's for the animation or the voicing, how it could be used to effectively change the industry So from your perspective, is it something that you're concerned about? Are you excited that AI could be introduced to make things more realistic or less realistic or, I don't know, more fantastical? I guess when it comes to things like AI and acting and music, I want to have hope in humanity that they would still seek out art that has humans behind it.

22:15Sure. I'm sure they're going to have AI actors and singers. I know they already exist. I know our voices are already being manipulated. but I hope people have some respect and want and love for something real. And I mean, if that's the way it goes, that's the way it goes. We can't control that, but I feel like I'm someone that looks for music that I know is written with heart, recorded with soul. and I hope that for movies the same because even though yes in animation people feel like it's so close to that there are hundreds and hundreds of people who worked on every single frame to make it what it is but that's also movies right hundreds of people work on a movie to make it happen it's unfortunate that sometimes you only see the directors and the and the actors and the producers and the writers, but there are so many people on a crew behind the scenes that work tirelessly to do what we do.

23:33And if people want to take that away or diminish those jobs, or it would make me very mad to say it in the most PC way. And sure, okay, someone could AI all of this, but it wouldn't be real and it wouldn't be the same. And I feel like as smart or intelligent or as helpful as AI can be, I feel like it will never have heart and soul the way that we do. And I know that music and art, at least for me, the reason I do it and the reason I love it is because of how it makes me feel. And that I don't think can be replicated. So I hope people know. But it is funny. I did see some rumors that people thought our Huntrick singers were AI at one point because it was so good.

24:31But guess what? Our girls are real. And they can sing. And so, you know, in a way, I guess it's a really nice compliment to be compared to AI. But, you know, with all things in the future and things moving so fast, I mean, I can barely keep up. So who knows? I'm going to be hopeful, though.

24:57Thank you for listening to The Interview from the BBC World Service. You'll find more in-depth conversations on The Interview wherever you get your BBC podcasts, including episodes with Anika Wells, the minister in charge of Australia's social media ban for under-16s, Google boss Sundar Pichai, and Hollywood great Sir Anthony Hopkins. Until next time, bye for now.

25:29If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. With the European Athletics Championships, the Men's FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games all taking place, 2026 is shaping up to be a terrific year for global sport.

26:15And the More Than The Score podcast will be following all the action, bringing you interviews with sports stars and exploring the stories beyond the score sheets with the BBC's expert sports journalists. More Than The Score from the BBC World Service. Listen now. Search for More Than The Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.