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Unless you’ve been living off the grid for the last eight months, you’ve likely heard of the smash-hit Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters. If you have children, you’ve probably watched it at least half a dozen times. But even if you don’t, chances are you’ve found yourself humming along to the catchy single “Golden” when its upbeat melody appears in every store, Instagram Reel, and commercial.
Netflix recently confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters is its most-watched original film or television show of all time. “I have friends and family all over the world who have been talking to me about the film and sending me photos of their kids watching it,” says Ji-young Yoo, who voices the character of Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters (Zoey’s singing is done by Rei Ami).
For the uninitiated, Zoey is a member of Huntrix, a K-pop girl group who also slays demons. Huntrix’s status as the most popular band in the world is threatened by the Saja Boys, who are secretly demons trying to steal their fans’ souls. It’s up to the women of Huntrix to save humanity and secure their spot at the top of the charts.
“I really can’t believe that it’s been so hugely popular across the world. It’s hard for me to get my head around. The numbers have gotten too big for me to conceptualize,” says Yoo, who was born in Aurora and raised in the Denver suburbs. She attended the Colorado Academy and trained at Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp.
Yoo believes that growing up surrounded by the natural beauty of Colorado has helped her deal with the success of KPop Demon Hunters. “Great nature helps you understand how insignificant you are in the course of Earth’s history,” she says. “It gives you a good sense of perspective on the stake of things.”
We spoke with Yoo about her continued connection to Colorado, why she thinks KPop Demon Hunters resonated with so many people, and how the Centennial State’s nature spoiled her.
Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
5280: When did you first become interested in performing?
Ji-young Yoo: I started dancing when I was three or four. I loved it. It was really my first love. I thought I was going to become a professional dancer. Then I had to take an arts class in my middle school. I walked home at the time, and there was no way I was going to walk home carrying a tuba or some sort of large band instrument. One of the girls at my dance studio also went to my middle school. She told me that the acting teacher was very nice and it was an easy A. I took it. I liked it for so many other reasons than it being an easy A, and I caught the bug from there. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since.
What drew you to acting?
I like acting because, similar to dance, a lot of it’s very physical. You can express so much without actually saying anything. I really liked the idea of building a character from how they move, not just how they speak or the words that they say. I also think that humans are really interesting. I like that acting as a job gives me a chance to try and understand the human experience. I’ve loved films all my life. My parents showed me films from a very young age,
I remember as a kid, I had an issue where my parents had to keep reminding me to blink during a movie because I just wouldn’t blink. I think most people try to wait to see when they can take their kids to a movie theater because their kids aren’t sitting still. I was sitting too still. I would have tears running down my face because I hadn’t blinked for however long the movie had been going. I think the first movie I sat all the way through was Shrek.
What’s your abiding memory of growing up in Colorado?
I get made fun of a lot in Los Angeles. People call me a mountain snob because technically, we’re surrounded by the San Bernardino Mountains, but I would argue—while they’re very pretty—they are the San Bernardino foothills. They’re very nice, but they are not mountains. The sunsets are very pretty here, especially if you can make it out to the ocean and watch it set over the Pacific. But I don’t think anything compares to a sunset and the way it breaks over the Rocky Mountains. I think the sky is massive in a way that is not quantifiable. You can’t even articulate how huge it is.
When I was in college, we went on a trip to Big Bear Lake, California. I was really excited because I know people go skiing in Big Bear. I got there and I went, ‘Oh. I mean, this is cute.’ There was some snow, but it’s about the amount of snow that you see in the summer in the mountains in Colorado. It wasn’t like the snow I was used to. I got very spoiled by the level of nature in Colorado. People like to make fun of how lackluster my reactions were. When I finally convinced my friends to come visit Colorado, they all shut up very quickly when they realized that I wasn’t lying.
How did the art programs in Colorado set you up for a successful career?
There are some really great arts programs in Colorado. I took full advantage of the summer camps in Steamboat Springs. I danced, did theater, rode horses—all at 9,000 feet. You’re basically disconnected. When I did it, you turned in your phones the entire time you were there. You would get it once a week so you could call your parents; but the rest of the time you didn’t have a phone. That was so valuable. That’s where I started to get a real sense of what I liked and didn’t like.
I did a couple of dance intensives when I thought I was going to be a professional dancer. I thought the only career option as a dancer was becoming a professional ballerina. After doing those dance intensives, I realized I didn’t actually want to do ballet for eight hours a day. I wanted to do other kinds of dance. With acting, I spent many hours a day putting in work for a theater piece. That’s when I realized I really liked the process, which I think really lends to working on film because you’re collaborating in the same way.
What are your favorite things to do in Colorado?
I try to go back at least once a year. I like to go on some sort of hike, although I don’t have the Denver lung capacity anymore. It was really humbling to return to Denver last year and get out of breath; that didn’t feel good. I will always try to make it out to see nature. There’s a couple of restaurants that I always try to go to. There’s a couple of really good restaurants in Little Saigon. Then a couple of Korean restaurants I’m always trying to go to. But the main thing is hanging out with my parents.
What has it been like to see the success of KPop Demon Hunters?
It’s been wildly unexpected. It’s wonderful; it’s an honor. You make art to connect with people. I just don’t think any artist expects their art to connect with this many people. It’s been amazing. It confirms a lot of what I believe about art: that it can reach anyone, no matter who you are or where you come from. If it’s good and if it means something, it’s going to find an audience.
Why do you think so many people connected with KPop Demon Hunters?
It obviously has incredible animation. The music is amazing. But I think the core of the story is something that everyone has experienced. Because really, what it comes down to is, at some point in our lives, the world or someone around us has told us to be ashamed of parts of ourselves. It’s actually in opening up your heart and being vulnerable that you’ll find your greatest strengths. I think that’s a really healing message. I think that’s why a lot of people, beyond just kids, are resonating so much with it. I think a lot of adults are healing their inner child when they watch the movie.
What do you think Hollywood and other storytellers can learn from its success?
Hopefully the biggest takeaway from this past year in movies is that original stories work, taking big creative risks can work—no matter where they come from. Look at Sinners and KPop Demon Hunters. I don’t think any of us would have predicted the blues-based movie about vampires was going to have a massive cultural resonance. I don’t think most people would have predicted one of the biggest movies would be KPop Demon Hunters.
If you trust your storytellers, push them to take risks, and give them the resources to do so, you’re going to come up with something really cool. I think the paradox of the industry is that everyone is risk averse all the time, but creativity and originality necessitate risk. When you see major franchises popping up all the time, it feels like something that has been recycled. But if you think about it, when Star Wars originally came out, no one had ever seen anything like it. When the Marvel movies came out, no one had ever seen anything like it. I think it’s easy to forget that they started as big risks, too.
What’s been the proudest aspect for you of working on KPop Demon Hunters?
It has been really humbling to get so many beautiful messages from parents or kids about how much the movie has impacted them. Young girls are finding more ways to be confident as a result of the movie. Young boys are approaching how they view femininity and masculinity differently as a result of the movie. I think it’s a mistake to ever assume that things that entertain children shouldn’t be thought through. I think children are vulnerable and we should treat their movies with the most scrutiny. I think what you watch as a kid affects who you are for the rest of your life.
What’s your favorite song from the film?
According to Spotify, my most listened to song from the soundtrack was “Free.” I also really want to give “Golden” its props, but I just like every single song on that soundtrack. It’s so good.
What are you working on next?
I finished a different K-pop movie last year that I shot in Korea. That one is live-action and totally unrelated to KPop Demon Hunters. That will be coming out in 2027. I am in the middle of shooting the second season of Presumed Innocent right now.
What do you want to achieve going forward?
I think the goal of my career has always been variety. I just want to try something different. I like being a little scared that I’m out of my comfort zone on a job. I’m usually looking for something that’s going to feel like a challenge. I think, if anything, KPop Demon Hunters has just allowed me the comfort of being even more picky with what I do next. It’s a privilege to get to be picky.
