Get to know Arden Cho, the voice behind Rumi in ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
Arden Cho brings life to Rumi (sans her singing) in the hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters.” Images: Instagram/@arden_cho, Netflix
One of the highlights of “KPop Demon Hunters” is Rumi struggling to come to terms with her half-hunter and demon persona, which was brought to life by Arden Cho. Anyone deeply immersed in the era of YouTubers and werewolves is aware of the South Korean-American actress, but it was Rumi that propelled her to widespread recognition.
Cho captured the inner turmoil of Rumi as she learned to accept her true self, while Korean-American singer-songwriter Ejae provided the character’s singing voice. If you want to know more about Cho, here is a rundown of what you need to know about the 39-year-old actress and content creator.
Moving a lot
While Texas is Cho’s home, she and her family moved from Amarillo, San Antonio, and Plano during her childhood. She then moved to Minnesota and Illinois for her high school and college education, respectively.
After taking on a medical missionary trip in Kenya, Cho returned to the US and settled in Los Angeles, accepting modeling campaigns for multiple brands and small acting gigs in TV shows.
‘Teen Wolf’ and ‘Agents of Secret Stuff’ fan-favorite
Portraying the half-Korean, half-Japanese kitsune teenager Kira Yukimura in “Teen Wolf” is probably one of Cho’s biggest breaks. She was the love interest of the lead star, Tyler Posey (Scott McCall), until her departure in its fifth season. She was also not part of the show’s film adaptation
“What I loved about Kira was that she was so much like me,” Cho told The Cut in 2022. “She had this heart to want to save her friends and fight for good, but she was super-dorky and really awkward, and she just didn’t know what to do with herself… When I meet fellow friends who enjoyed my time on the show and they enjoyed Kira, I’m happy because something good came out of it.”
However, leaving the show sparked talks of unequal pay, as she hinted at on her YouTube channel. She mentioned in the same interview with The Cut that it had something to do with people of color earning less than their white counterparts.
“I could probably, off the top of my head, think of over ten Asian American actors I know who were paid significantly less than their counterparts… Sometimes you don’t have a choice but to say ‘no.’ Sometimes you just need it. You’ve got bills to pay,” she said, noting that her co-star Dylan O’Brien has always been supportive of her outside the set.
Another notable project of Cho was the 2010 short film “Agents of Secret Stuff,” which starred YouTuber Ryan Higa, whom she dated from 2015 to 2019.
“Agents of Secret Stuff” was different from the typical Hollywood films at the time, but it nonetheless showcased the actress’ sense of humor.
She creates music, too
Cho connected with Rumi’s knack for music as she has long been active in the music scene as well. She released her first single “I’m Just a Girl” in 2011 and her first EP “My True Happy” two years later.
When she’s not filming or doing entertainment-related activities, she enjoys posting covers on her YouTube channel.
Proud Asian American in Hollywood
While Cho made compromises — especially when it comes to accepting gigs that help her pay the bills — in the earlier days of her career, she pushes for proper Asian representation in US mainstream media through the projects she selects.
“Who measures success? My biggest obstacle has been naysayers in the business — people who think that women shouldn’t be leads, that Asian women shouldn’t play intellectual characters, that we should have accents, or that we should just be sexy,” she told Vogue Singapore in March 2024. “I’m an actor. I want to have fun, but I’m always conscious of what every word means for us because it’s a responsibility.
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The actress was also among the many Asians who stood for anti-Asian hate in 2021, revealing that she was verbally attacked while walking her dog. Speaking of her experience in an Instagram post, she said that it brought back the “trauma” she had as a kid.
Cho also stressed in an interview with E! in the same year that Asian women are “viewed as sort of a prize or trophy” in mainstream media.
“I think there’s always been a challenge of how Asians have been represented in media… One of the things I hoped for and really wanted was I didn’t have to be the ‘Sexy Girl No. 1’ or ‘Massage Girl No. 2,’ or some sort of a sexual object — because the whole reason of pursuing entertainment for me was I just wanted to be a part of, hopefully, representation,” she said, per report.
She is engaged to the love of her life
Wedding bells are soon ringing for Cho, who got engaged to her non-showbiz partner in April of this year.
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The actress, however, kept her lips sealed on the identity of her partner and has yet to reveal his name on social media and other related platforms. She nonetheless described him as the “calm to [her] chaos.” /edv
