Ahn Hyo-seop and Arden Cho, stars of Netflix’s global smash "KPop Demon Hunters", dropped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to celebrate the film’s runaway success and share behind-the-scenes stories.
Kicking things off, Fallon hyped the phenomenon: “'KPop Demon Hunters' is the most-watched movie in Netflix history,” he said, noting it has surpassed 500 million views and recently took home the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature ― sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Despite co-starring, the pair revealed they barely crossed paths while making the film.
“Everything was recorded separately, so we were almost never in the booth together,” Cho laughed. Ahn added, “This is actually only our second time meeting in person.” Fallon quipped, “That’s the magic of movies.”
Cho walked through her road to landing Rumi. “I didn’t even audition for Rumi at first. Back in August 2022, I sent a quick voice memo for another role ― then crickets for a year. About 12 months later, I got an email asking me to callback for Rumi. I flew in from Korea, recorded for about an hour, and a month later we were off to the races.”
Ahn recalled his first impression of the project. “The title alone felt wildly fresh ― K-pop and demon hunting together? But once I read the script, it was funny, heartfelt, and had a message,” he said, adding, “I’ve loved animation since I was a kid.”
Naming "Frozen" as the animated film he watched the most growing up, Ahn joked, “It was basically my entire childhood… well, I was around twenty,” cracking up the studio. “Being part of an animated movie that could mean something to kids felt special,” he said.
He also dug into his character, Jinu. “I never saw him as purely a demon. He’s human ― someone who made the wrong choice at the wrong moment,” Ahn explained. “To move past a mistake, you have to own it, accept yourself, and keep going. That’s what I wanted to convey.”
Cho felt the global reach in a very personal way after release. “Linda Larkin ― the voice of Jasmine in 'Aladdin' ― called me out of the blue,” she shared. “We talked for two hours. She said my performance moved her, and we both cried. I’ll never forget the day ‘Jasmine’ called me.”
Both actors also went viral with their cover of the film’s track "Free." “We were in the middle of a big U.S. promo push and wanted to give something back to fans,” Ahn said. “To be honest, I kind of wanted to sing in the movie.” Fallon shot back, “Is that a sequel tease?” drawing laughs.
“I loved the film and the music, and tons of my K-pop friends reached out,” Cho added. “The 'Free' cover with Cha Eun-woo was his last project before enlistment ― and it blew up.”
To cap it off, the duo delivered a few of "KPop Demon Hunters"’ most quotable lines on-air, sending fans into a meltdown.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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