‘Kpop Demon Hunters' Stars Arden Cho, May Hong & Ji-young Yoo On Portraying 'Vulnerable Girls Who Also Kick Ass'

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3 days ago

It's only up, up, up from here for Netflix's latest surprise hit Kpop Demon Hunters. The critically acclaimed feature—also produced by Sony Pictures Animation—danced its way to history with the distinction of becoming the streamer's most-watched animated film ever. The film also snagged the number four spot on Netflix's most popular English-language films list with over 158 million views since its release.
Co-written and co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, Kpop Demon Hunters follows Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), three young-adult popstars in a group called Huntr/x, who are tasked to deal with supernatural threats because of their ancient demon slayer lineage. However, when their biggest demonic enemy (Lee Byung-hun) encourages the formation of an equally popular K-pop boy band aimed at stealing the souls of their fans, the trio has to fight harder than ever to hold the demons at bay while keeping their friendship intact.
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'I expected [the movie] to be really awesome and fun, but I did not expect it to be at the level that it is at right now,' Hong told Deadline. 'I didn't think it would be a complete phenomenon, a global sensation, or top of the charts.'
'The writers are perfect,' Cho added. 'Maggie and Chris are perfect.'
A secret to the magic sauce could be the way that audiences are personally resonating with each member of the group as they battle with the fear of perception, insecurities and the nuances of love. 'In terms of it resonating with everyone with their familial trauma and expectations to uphold—I think there's a really good lesson [in the film]. I think it's about being honest with yourself and the ones you love—and also pushing boundaries if you feel that it's not working for you.' Hong said.
Yoo also felt she could relate to her character's struggle. In the film, Zoey is the only member of the group born and raised in America. It's a disorienting experience that she pens within the verses of the film's hit songs. 'Maggie and Chris really did their thing with casting, in addition to also letting us bring a lot of ourselves to the characters, which is wonderful,' Yoo said. 'I think I share a lot in common with Zoey—one of the obvious ones being that we're both Korean American. I think Zoey is still in the process of trying to figure out where she fits in the diaspora. She holds both ends of her heritage. I don't know if I share that [feeling] anymore, but it was certainly something I thought about a lot when I was younger. Something I wish I shared with Zoey, which I do think I do, is her optimism and her inability to give up. It takes her longer to give in to the demon voices because she's such a deep optimist, and I find that very admirable.'
As for Cho? She relates to the themes about vulnerability and breaking boundaries presented in Huntr/x's power anthem 'Golden.' And as it turns out, so does the rest of the film's rapidly growing fanbase. In addition to being a catchy smash-hit in the fictional world of the movie, the song—written by Korean singer-songwriter Ejae and performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, who also lend their vocals to the trio in Kpop Demon Hunters—has also transcended into reality-breaking records.
As it stands currently, the film boasts the highest-charting soundtrack of 2025 on the Billboard 200 and is the #1 movie soundtrack on Spotify. Additionally, it is the first K-pop album to top the U.S. Apple Music chart and iTunes simultaneously. 'Golden' is one of several tracks charting individually on the Billboard Global 200 but has the distinction of holding a spot at #1 for non-consecutive weeks on both Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
But why is that? What does Cho think people are reacting to within the lyrics of the song? She relates it to her own career trajectory as an actress of color in Hollywood.
'[Being] an actor is already a difficult path. It's already something that is very competitive and a battle,' Cho said. 'But at the same time, I think being an active Asian American, sometimes everything we do ends up becoming about our race. It's almost like I'm not trying to do a project as an Asian American or as an Asian, but people make it that, right? Even with something like Kpop Demon Hunters, I feel like the love and response has been so refreshing and fun because it's not really about our characters being Korean or Korean American, which they are. We are so unapologetic about it, and we love our culture. But I love that it's such a fun movie that's being celebrated for how great it is.'
Cho continued, 'The story is great, everything is there—the action, fun, comedy, romance, the thrill and the human aspect of it. I feel, as Asian Americans, or at least for myself, that it's always a struggle to find a role where I'm like, this character is very three-dimensional in going through something real and battling something. But also telling their story in a way where it's not necessarily about just their skin color or who they are or those kinds of things. As an actor, we're always feeling really hungry for something real. And I feel like this movie is just so fun to be these vulnerable girls who also kick ass.'
You can check out more of the interview and behind the scenes fun in the videos below.
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