How 'KPop Demon Hunters' Helped Arden Cho Be Who She Was Born To Be

Speaking of fashion, you two are ready to go. Y'all look so great. We kind of do match. You complement each other well, the three of us. I know, you really, did you call each other? We did. Yes. I definitely. I did not realize this, you grew up in Texas as well. I did. Yes, that is crazy. You're a Dallas Cowboys fan, I hear? Totally. Growing up, I was just obsessed. Also, by the way, I just have to say, you have been such a big part of my life. Like, because of you, since you've been gone, it is literally all through, like, my, like, 20s. Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Literally, I've, like, manifested this. It's been my dream to meet you. And I, like, changed my mind. You felt, I heard, though, like an outsider growing up in Texas, right? I did, I did. Yeah. You know, I think growing up, especially in our neighborhood, in the 90s, we were pretty much the only Asian family. Yeah. I think I was maybe the only Asian kid at my school. And at that time, like, we just didn't know what that, I didn't really know what that meant, right? It was rarely talked about. Being Asian American wasn't, like, a thing. I feel like, so often, people didn't even know where Korea was. So at that time, and again, things are better now, but. You've said that becoming Remy helped you heal. How so? I mean, it's interesting. I feel like, as I briefly shared earlier, growing up with this confusion of identity, feeling like there's not a place for me. You know, I'm Korean, Korean American, I'm Asian. I think I'm American. I'm born in Texas. I thought I was Texan. Yeah. You're Texan? Yeah, I am. But then, you know, when people ask, like, where are you from? That's not what they're looking for, right? And so, I think it was this thing where I felt like, then when I started as an actor, I felt like it was really hard to find my identity and who I was, and it was almost like, sometimes I wasn't Asian enough. Sometimes I was too Asian, or I wasn't the kind of Asian people expected me to be. You just can't hear all of that enough. Yeah, so I think for, like, the early part of my, like, 20s and 30s, I just kept trying to be just perfect, or maybe who I wasn't. And then, in my 30s, I really just embraced my Korean culture and who I was, and was like, you know what? I am Korean, and I love K-pop. I love K-fashion. I love all these things that people might think is weird. I love Korean food. Yeah. And growing up, like, as a kid, that was such a weird thing. Would get made fun of. People would complain about the food, or the textures, or the smells. And, you know, as a kid, you just shy away from it, and I wasn't strong enough, I think, to just own it. Yeah. And I feel like that has helped me figure out who I am and become the woman I'm supposed to be. And I feel like Rumi goes through that as she sort of battles hiding who she is, and then when she comes to Celine, and is like, you know, why can't you love me? Yeah. Oh, my God. Girl, I can't even tell you. I have cried so much at this show. I feel like I was crying when I was doing that, because it's almost like- My kids are looking at me while watching, and being like, what the hell is wrong with you? I was like- I love that. I feel like- It's beautiful, though. The messaging. So many people relate in your own way. Right, because so many of us are trying to figure out who we want to be, and I think as women, we just have so many pressures. To be perfect, to be beautiful, but, you know, to be bold, but not too bold, and strong, but not too strong. You know? And so I feel like I just related with her so much, and I loved that, again, her sort of losing it all, breaking down and being exposed was the thing that helped her rebuild. I bet that's gotta be kind of interesting for y'all. As actors, you play these roles, and some of them have to stick with you, or help you grow, or help you heal. Do you have a character like that? I mean, sort of. It's not, it's probably not healing. It's actually the opposite. The character I play in the industry, Jonah, is so brash, and so direct, and I have the part of me that's direct because I'm from New Jersey, so we're very no-nonsense, but his is at a completely different level, and it kind of, I wouldn't say it rubbed off on me, but it definitely made me go, I could be like 3% like that, and I'd be better off, right? I'd be a little less of a pushover if I was just a little bit more assertive. Helps you create more boundaries? Yeah, for sure, exactly, yeah. Yeah, you see the good in that from the different characters you play. Yeah, that's cool.