‘Kpop Demon Hunter’ star Arden Cho gets candid about her characters; reveals she originally auditioned for Celine and not Rumi

Arden Cho, mainly known for her roles in the hit series ‘Teen Wolf’ and ‘Partner Track’, has taken on a new ‘identity’ with ‘

Rumi

’ in ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’. The popular actress recently opened up about her experience on the animated movie as well as what she thought of the love it has been receiving ever since the official release.

Arden Cho on ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’

In an interview with Naver, the 40-year-old actress who voices the lead of ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ talked about how the project was a way to her ‘self-discovery’. She shared that she felt related to the main character as she herself is Korean American.While talking about her role, Cho revealed, “I was overjoyed beyond words. Even after 20 years of acting, I wondered, ‘Is it okay for me to want this role so badly?’

Director Maggie Kang

, I, and all the HUNTR/X members share Korean heritage. ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ is about more than K-pop: it showcases Korean warmth, unity, and how that helps overcome crises. I really wanted to help spread that message of 'us'”.She even shared that initially, Rumi was not the one she was aiming to be. She shared that her original audition was for the role of Celine, who plays the girl group’s mentor in the film. As per

Cho

, it was director Kang who encouraged her to try out for the lead instead.

Becoming Rumi was ‘destiny’ for Arden Cho

While talking about the role, the actress even shared how happy and great she is to be a part of such a project. She praised ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ for representing Korean sentiments accurately. Emphasising that, she even shared that now, like Chinese and Japanese traditions have animations for representation, even Korean culture has finally got something similar now. She also added, “It’s the charm of Koreans to acknowledge others and take responsibility for the work given to them. And there’s affection at the foundation of that. Also, Korean honorifics contain respect and consideration that are difficult to express in English-speaking countries. ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ captures those elements well”.She also talked about how the role felt like destiny, as it was a way to boost representation on a global level. The actress also recalled facing discrimination as she was the child of immigrants growing up in Texas.

Cho on K-pop music

Other than being a successful actress, Cho has also made her debut in the music industry! The star previously released her song titled ‘Electrify’ in 2019, and even has close ties with artists like

Tiger JK

and Yoon Mi Rae.While talking about her favourite artist, the actress does not hold back, saying, “I love many groups, but

BTS

is the best. I even flew to Las Vegas during filming to catch their concert. If you want to understand what K-pop truly is, you have to see them live”.