Korean American actress Arden Cho is reflecting on her groundbreaking role as the voice of Rumi in Netflix's animated hit "K-pop Demon Hunters," which continues to dominate the streaming platform's global charts. The project marked Cho's first venture into voice acting, presenting unique challenges as she performed in both English and Korean while helping to bring authentic Korean cultural elements to American audiences.
Cho emphasized the significance of the film's cultural authenticity, explaining that "K-pop Demon Hunters" stands apart from typical animated productions. "What's special about this film is that even though it's an American animation produced in English, it's infused with Korean sensibility and cultural nuance," she said. The actress noted that even character Jinu's mannerisms and speech patterns carried distinctly Korean flavors, requiring the entire cast to carefully consider how to make English dialogue feel natural to Korean audiences.
One of Cho's most significant hurdles was recording dialogue in Korean, given her imperfect command of the language. "My Korean isn't perfect, so I was really worried – especially with words like 'honmun,' which were difficult to pronounce," she admitted. The director maintained high standards throughout the recording process, demanding perfection to capture the authentic Korean atmosphere. Cho expressed gratitude when Korean audiences recognized and appreciated these efforts to maintain cultural accuracy.
Despite her extensive acting background spanning over a decade, Cho chose to audition for the role of Rumi rather than rely on her established reputation. "The moment I read the script, I thought, 'I have to do this,'" she explained. She viewed the audition process as both fair and strategic, given the involvement of multiple decision-makers from the director to Netflix executives. "It's not enough for just the director or producer to like you – everyone has to agree. So auditioning was actually easier. If I gave it my all, no one could question the result."
Cho's deep connection to K-pop culture proved essential to her performance, as she grew up listening to legendary groups including H.O.T., Turbo, Fin.K.L, and S.E.S. – several of which receive references in the film. She continues to draw inspiration from contemporary artists like TWICE, aespa, and Girls' Generation. However, this passion also created pressure. "Because I love K-pop so much, I also felt a lot of pressure – I kept worrying, 'Can I really capture this energy?'"
The transition to voice acting presented unexpected challenges and rewards for the seasoned actress. Initially, she found the process awkward and embarrassing, recording alone while being observed by the production team. However, she quickly discovered the unique advantages of animation work. "I didn't need hair and makeup, and I could act comfortably in casual clothes – it was a dream come true as an actor," Cho said. Watching the animation evolve after each recording session became one of her greatest joys, and she even wished she could return for additional sessions after the final recording ended.
Certain scenes proved particularly challenging to execute effectively. Cho identified recording Rumi's eating sounds during a kimbap scene as one of the most difficult moments. "The director had a very specific sound in mind, and I'd never done anything like it before. It had to be comedic, and that was really hard at first," she recalled. Romantic scenes with character Jinu also presented unique difficulties, requiring precise synchronization of voice, emotion, and visual elements while performing alone. In contrast, she found angry or comedic scenes much easier and more enjoyable to perform.
Throughout production, Cho took pride in sharing Korean culture with her American colleagues, regularly taking staff members to Korean restaurants to experience dishes like samgyeopsal, galbijjim, japchae, fried chicken, and chimaek. "It was so rewarding to watch them go from hesitant to enthusiastic about Korean food. I loved showing our culture with pride and confidence," she said. Several scenes in the film resonated with her personal experiences, including a traditional clinic visit that reminded her of childhood herbal medicine treatments from her mother, and a bathhouse scene that maintained distinctly Korean cultural elements despite being performed in English.
Following the global success of "K-pop Demon Hunters," Cho has already begun work on her next project, "Perfect Girl," a Hollywood film that explores the intensely competitive world of K-pop trainees and the psychological journeys of young women pursuing their dreams. The film, directed by a Korean filmmaker, features a cast including Cho, actor-model Adeline Rudolph, and singer Jeon Somi. "It's a beautiful story about women's emotional journeys set against the backdrop of K-pop," Cho explained. The script has already received multiple awards in the United States, and she expressed excitement about sharing another piece of Korean cultural pride with global audiences.
