‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Reignited Arden Cho’s Love For Acting Again

Since its release on June 20, Netflix’s animated musical film, KPop Demon Hunters, has become a global and cultural phenomenon. It is the most-watched English film with over 236 million total views on the popular streaming platform. The film’s soundtrack has broken records, becoming the first to ever chart four simultaneous top 10 songs, with the award-favorite song, “Golden,” holding the No. 1 spot for a second time. The movie was given a limited two-day sing-along release last weekend, becoming #1 at the box office with an estimated $18 million.

No one could have anticipated the film, which centers on a K-pop girl group who moonlight as demon hunters, to break out the way it did. There was a lot of hesitation about the idea of K-pop idols being demon hunters. But for Arden Cho, who voiced the lead character Rumi, she knew there was something special about the film when she first read the script.

“I keep saying that it’s incredible,” Cho says over Zoom from her home in Los Angeles. “It’s incredible! I’m such an animation, K-pop, and demon hunter fan. I love everything about it. I geeked out on the whole process of recording this. I watched the screener three or four months before [it premiered]

and thinking, ‘This is gonna be awesome.’”

When Cho went to Korea for vacation after the film had premiered, she found herself spending most of her time collaborating with K-pop idols on KPop Demon Hunters’ Dance Challenges, including LE SSERAFIM, ITZY, and ILLIT. She shares, “Slowly, I began doing all these K-pop dance collabs. There was a whole list of way more groups, but we didn’t have time at one point. We didn’t know how to schedule all of this.”

Close friend and actor Cha Eun-woo, who was one of the inspirations behind the character of Jinu, had contacted her to perform the song “Free” together. Though singer-songwriter EJAE provided the vocals in the film, Cho is also a singer and harmonized perfectly with the actor.

“He [told me] he loved the movie,” Cho recalls. “It’s so fun, and I’m honored. He’s such an incredible talent. So, I was like, yeah, if you want to, I’m down. Let’s do it!”

Though it’s been over two months since the film premiered, the “ah-ha” moment is finally hitting her now. She hasn’t been able to escape the film’s impact. It’s not that she doesn’t want to talk about KPop Demon Hunters – no, she loves talking about it. She has never experienced anything on this massive scale, receiving numerous messages daily from friends, family, and fans inquiring about the film and potential storylines that could spawn from it.

“People are so excited [about this film],” Cho exclaims. “My entire comment feed right now is, ‘Please, more sing-alongs!’ ‘More theaters!’ I’m like, ‘Babies, I got zero control. Zero power. I would do it for you if I could. It’s insane. This is the next level of something I’ve never experienced in my career. Something I think so many of us never get to see.”

This is saying a lot, as Cho has been part of massive fandoms and broken barriers as an Asian American actor in these roles. In the popular television series Teen Wolf, Cho was one of the only Asian American leads on a teen drama during that time period. She received praise for refusing to participate in the Teen Wolf movie due to pay inequality. As the lead for Netflix’s Partner Track, which focused on an Asian American woman in corporate America, Cho fought hard to include Asian men, especially to have one play a potential love interest, in the project.

“I want to support us [Asians], because we don’t get a lot of those opportunities,” she explains. “I was initially not comfortable in doing [Partner Track] because it’s a Chinese American story, but the writers and everyone said, we can make it Asian American and the family to be Korean. We got to put that in there. We got to incorporate Korean culture and food at a small level. Even with casting, I was fighting for an Asian American man – a really hot [Asian] man. We got one. We got Desmond Chaim, who is a super-hot Chinese man, [to play Z]. We almost got a Season 2 arc of Ingrid and Z.”

She later appeared alongside the majority Asian-led cast of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender as a professional bounty hunter and badass fighter. She likes to reflect on all the characters she’s played, feeling grateful for every opportunity.

“I’ve experienced incredible fandoms and so much love [from the fans of all my projects],” she explains. “I did a fan meet a few weeks ago, and there was so much overlap with fans being so excited about Kira [from Teen Wolf], June [from Avatar: The Last Airbender], Ingrid [from Partner Track], and Rumi. I wonder if they could have all been friends in an alternate universe. [I remember] thinking, this is so cool. Everyone’s really excited for me, and I’m excited.”

As a proud Korean American, Cho is most excited to see people celebrating Korean culture, music, and fashion. She mentioned director Maggie Kang’s story about her teacher being unable to locate South Korea on the map. Cho recalls people in her lifetime asking her if she’s from South or North Korea. To have an American movie led by a Korean story and culture is an incredible moment for Cho.

“As a Korean American woman and actor, [I get to] celebrate a movie that brings so much joy and happiness, and is our story,” she says. “Something that Koreans are proud of. Something that Korean Americans are proud of. It’s been one of those things where I’m like, this is why we love movies. This is why we got into the business. Sometimes hope is lost, and sometimes we forget to dream. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ve ever dreamed for a moment like this or hoped for it, because I didn’t think it was possible.”

Cho has been in the industry for many years now. She first began collaborating with other Asian American YouTube creators, including Wong Fu Productions and JustKiddingFilms. She was a staple for Asian Americans during the height of the YouTube era, which made her breakout in Hollywood more impactful for the community. Throughout her career, she has spoken about Asian representation, calling for more in-depth roles for Asian Americans and celebrating their successes. She is touched when her advocacy for the Asian community is mentioned, because the topic means so much to her.

“Thank you so much for noticing,” she says. “I think a lot of people don’t notice. You made me feel so seen. Yes, for 20 years, I’ve been running around being like, ‘Let’s promote Asian guys.’ ‘Let’s promote the Asian girlies.’ Anytime I have a choice for a photographer, makeup artist, or staff, I’m always scrolling through a list of last names like Cho, Park, Lee, or Kim. I just want to support us.”

Although the discussion of representation can be tiresome for many who just want to be seen for their talent, Cho gets it. It’s why KPop Demon Hunters means so much to her because it’s a universal story that everyone can understand. It’s centered on Korean characters, but it’s not just for Koreans or K-pop fans.

“Maggie and [co-director] Chris [Applehans] are at the center of [making the story so] authentic and real,” Cho explains. “They deserve all the love and praise for protecting the story and making it so authentically Korean and beautiful with this incredible narrative, powerful storytelling, super complex and strong characters – that everybody falls in love with – and the most incredible music and soundtrack that is so seamlessly a part of this movie. It’s the perfect mix to make magic. It’s just a good movie.”

With the success of KPop Demon Hunters and the influx of K-pop music in Hollywood, Cho has a few projects in the works: an Asian American story directed by a Taiwanese American director and a drama that centers on the K-pop industry called Perfect Girl.

“I’m going back into the K-pop world that has nine Asian female leads,” she says proudly. “We’ve been casting for months and months because we are looking for the best actors, storytellers, and stars.”

As she excitedly talks about KPop Demon Hunters and her upcoming projects, it’s hard to believe that Cho was planning on retiring from the industry after Partner Track was cancelled. She felt burnt out and “pretty much done.”

“You know, after twenty years in the business, Partner Track was exciting,” she admits. “I thought that was going to be my moment, then it wasn’t. I pretty much quit the business and retired. I took about a year off, but KPop Demon Hunters was one of the only projects that I auditioned for because I love animation. I remember recording for Rumi during the most personal scenes and felt it was a form of trauma healing for me. It was difficult because I had told myself, ‘I’m not doing this anymore, but I’ll just do this one last thing’.”

During the recording process for the film, Cho felt that joyful spark for acting again. It was all thanks to the film’s inspirational story that she felt honored to be a part of.

“I remember [telling] Michelle [Wong], our producer, that this is the last thing I’m doing,” Cho recalls. “I’m done. Then, the irony of it all is, throughout the process, I just started having so much fun and getting excited [about the work]. I’m going to do more things, but only if they are something that really inspires me and our stories. We’re the main character. KPop Demon Hunters has given me a whole new life and a whole new excitement to dream again.”