July 16, 2025 • 13 mins
What happens when K-pop idols moonlight as demon slayers? You get K-Pop Demon Hunters—a wildly fun, high-emotion animated adventure that’s part magical girl fantasy, part coming-out metaphor, and totally iconic.
Host Caitlynn McDaniel kicks things off, then hands it over to special guest Calix Quan (you may know him from RuPaul’s Drag Race) for interviews with co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, followed by stars Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo. They talk sisterhood, shame, slaying demons (inner and outer), and why this movie is so much more than just dazzling animation.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is streaming now on Netflix. Go watch it!
Host Caitlynn McDaniel kicks things off, then hands it over to special guest Calix Quan (you may know him from RuPaul’s Drag Race) for interviews with co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, followed by stars Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo. They talk sisterhood, shame, slaying demons (inner and outer), and why this movie is so much more than just dazzling animation.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is streaming now on Netflix. Go watch it!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Straw Hut Media.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
So we're allowed to talk about spoilers in this right now.
You know what, why don't well you skip that because
I do not want to give anything away because it
was so good.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Okay, yeah, Hi, I'm Kitlyin McDaniel and welcome back to Pride.
This week, I have a special guest star joining me,
Calex Kwan, who is an actor, creator, and model who
you may know from RuPaul's Drag Race. He is going
to be co hosting with me and leading these wonderful interviews.
(00:37):
But before we get into all of that, we have
to talk about this week's topic. So if you're anything
like me and you're on the internet constantly, then you've
probably seen something called K Pop Demon Hunters. I swear
when I have edits on my feed. If it's not
Love Island drama, then it's this, and I'm definitely not
(00:59):
mad about either. I mean, I'm in for all of
the drama. So it's a really really groundbreaking movie and
if you haven't seen it, you definitely should on Netflix now.
But before we have to just get into everything that
this movie follows. So this is a high energy, high
emotion adventure that follows a trio of K pop idols
(01:21):
who double as secret demon slayers. So there's not just
killer choreography and viral visuals. The film digs into something
much deeper, which is shame, identity, and the courage to
be yourself. We literally talked with the creators and they
said straight up that the film is inspired by Coming
(01:42):
Out of the Closet. So even though it's not outwardly queer,
it definitely has those undertones of embracing your true self,
dealing with shame, everything that goes into that, which is
so relatable. Plus, the three girls that lead the film
are icons, so you have to check it out. Klex
is going to talk to all of them about all
(02:03):
of that, about coming out of the closet, dealing with shame,
having a support group, and so much more. So if
that floats your boat, then let's go.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I absolutely love the film. As a cape pop fan, myself,
as an anime fan, myself, as an literally anything Asian,
I'm very very much in love with I feel like
you guys had a huge responsibility to put together a
combination of animation, cape pop culture and also a rabid
(02:45):
fan base. You know, like everybody's so excited about seeing
these kind of projects come up, so I wanted to see,
like Leslie the action right, Like there's so much action
in this film. How I wanted to first and foremost
ask you, how did you balance that? How how do
you find the right mixture of K pop culture, which
in itself is a huge responsibility and a film that's
(03:10):
animated and also the action. How did this all come together?
Because it also touches very deep and mature themes in
some ways, but it also makes it so simple and
so understandable that even children can understand it.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
It was just I don't know, just putting everything that
we wanted into a soup and or a puzzle Like
I think it's more puzzle pieces and shaking it all
up and then taking them out and just really trying
to place everything in the right thing. But it took many,
many iterations for every scene for the entire movie, because
(03:46):
there were so many pieces that kind of needed to
overlap and kind of come together, and any scene that
had music in it was just very They were very
difficult to do. We had many iterations of the song
and the storyboards, and then every department that came in
felt the same way. Like they wanted to make a
(04:08):
movie like this. We are all animation fans, and they all.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Were like, yes, this is what I love.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
Finally I wanted to work on something like this. So yeah,
it was a huge team effort.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I can personally say that you guys did an incredible
job with it. The music carries definitely the storyline, but
it's it doesn't in such a way that it moves
the story forward, which I thought was very impressive. We
just discussed this, but I was curious as to how
did you manage to choreograph the battle scenes with the
music as you move the story forward? But you just
perfectly answered that question. As far as like the costume
(04:44):
design and the character design, I thought you did also
a great job because there's I mean a huge K
drama fan myself, so I noticed that you borrowed Did
you borrow some of that as well, because I saw
some influence potentially.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, actual actual footage from K dramas
that we would reference and the animators would would kind of,
you know, be very inspired by.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Yeah, we had a huge you know, mirror board like
the reference position at Aline that had hundreds of gifts
of different moments from because you know, like the badass
lead of a K drama, perfect dude who slightly feels
some feelings for the first time he eyelids do the
little fluttery thing. Yes, And we have just forty gifts
of that that we give to our animators. And the
(05:31):
best part, like Maggie said, was the animators are like
fans of K dramas, many of them were Korean, and
they're like, I finally get to animate this thing that
I love and do my take on it in animation.
So that was that felt like we tapped into this
pent up sense of influences and inspirations and within just
our crew and it made it so natural.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah, definitely filling a gap there. I think we've all
been waiting for something like this, So this is great
one of the things. And I'll probably end with one
last question that is in regards to the actual storyline.
The storyline, and I was mentioned this to the cast
as well. You touch on the concept of shame, and
I thought this was such an incredible take, unexpected even
(06:16):
to be able to address something that is part of
everybody's life and yet we don't talk often enough about
my personal personally. I love reading and I read somewhere
that the solution to shame is empathy, and I find
that how do you manage to bring all of this
(06:37):
together into your storyline and address it in such a
way that can be understood? I come from, of course,
with a gay outlet LGBTQ plus, so a lot of
our viewers and readers, you know, deal with these themes
another different, different environment, but similar concept. How did you
(06:58):
address this so carefully and so masterfully?
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Well, thank you, But you know, actually we we when
we were crafting the story, we used to always compare
it a Routney's story is like she's coming out of
the closet, coming clean to her her parents, who is
you know, is wanting her to be something that she's not.
And so yeah, it was just kind of naturally part
of the kind of crafting of it and the storytelling.
(07:25):
And yeah, I just.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Thank you for this. It was wonderful and I'm sure
everybody will absolutely appreciate that. Definitely, our readers.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Will thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Thank you so much. This is such an incredible movie.
I was so excited to meet you all. And also
(07:57):
you represent your character so well. You're looking credit and
needless to say, the characters also are looking incredible. The
fashion is on point. I wanted to first and foremost
start by asking you all what you thought of the
script when you first read it, Like, I'm so curious.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
I mean, I was so excited. It has everything we love, right,
It's like this magical world and it's k pup and
it's girls kicking ass.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Let's go yep more. Also, what I loved about it.
One of the things that I noticed about the movie,
because I was honestly just glued to it, is how
much it touches on the concept of shame. And that's
something I really love. And it really goes head onto
(08:41):
it right, Like you don't really realize it what kind
of a journey you're going into until you're going through
and it's like, oh my god, this is this is
touching so succinctly on shame. And I took some time
because I'm a huge Brene Brown fan, and one of
the things that she mentioned in one of her books
is that shame is intensely, intensely feeling painful or experience
(09:02):
of believing that we're flawed and therefore unworthy of love,
belonging in connection. And I felt like the movie really
addresses that. So my first question is going to be
directed to Arden, because you play Rumy the being that
the storyline so complex, and how did it personally resonate
with you? Did it draw inspiration for personal experience? And
(09:25):
what is your advice for anyone looking to be brave
and sharing their truth?
Speaker 4 (09:29):
Yeah, I mean I relate with Rumy so much, maybe
too much. I feel like, and we've talked about this
a lot, that everybody has their own types of demons
or things that they're battling, their insecurities and things are
scared of or you know. I think for Roomy it's
she's going through this identity crisis but also trying to
(09:50):
do it all. And I would say for anyone who's
struggling with it, my advice is one. I think having
community is really important your friends. I think for Roumy
without Mira and Zoe, she wouldn't have made it.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yeah, And I think.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Also knowing that you're never the only one, Like, everyone
is going through something on some level, and I think
comparison is the worst thing, and so it's one of
those just be you and experience your journey on your
own at your own pace, and everyone's Yeah, everyone's going
(10:28):
through something, and so it's okay.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
That honestly was perfect answer, and honestly what I was
trying to get to because as you know, gayeties and
the Gay Outlet and a lot of gay people struggle
with finding themselves and understanding and sharing sharing their truth
with others. Well, this is not directly a gay film,
of course, it does have undertones of understanding yourself and
being able to share your truth with others. So on
(10:53):
the other hand, for may and g Young, what was
your reaction with Rumy's revelation. I'm just curious what may
Or and Zoe thought and how they process these emotions,
Like what do you think was helpful for them to
come to terms and move forward?
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Oh that's so we're allowed to talk about spoilers in
this right now, Like.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You know what, why don't will you skip that? Because
I do not want to give anything away because it
was so good? Okay? And lastly, the key takeaway what
would you like to have your audience at being so young?
What is something that you would like your audience to
take away from this film?
Speaker 6 (11:31):
I mean, so much of this is like the demons
in a lot of ways are really like a metaphor
for the critics, both in the world around you and
the ones in your head. And I think the women
in the film are powerful because they embrace who they
are and they're proud of who they are. I think
that's the journey of really all three women in different ways,
of them finding themselves. So I think your most powerful
(11:55):
when you're truest to yourself, and would you give yourself
love and the world around you love? And I hope
that kids take away that message. And that's also it's
just a really fun movie that is honestly so.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Heartworm for me. I really wish that this kind of
film had come out when I was younger.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
So, oh, thank you were saying that too. I mean,
it's never too late. But this is the movie that
you know, we wish we grew up with.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
And that's why we're here, right We're creating the content
that we wish we had available when we were younger,
So now we get to give it to ourselves basically too.
Just like being part of it is so surreal.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
Yeah, And I feel like even though we're grown up,
like we could still be kids and we can enjoy it.
And I feel like that's what I also hope people
take away from this is I think sometimes people think
an animated film is just for kids, but it's not.
I feel like animated films are literally one of my favorites,
and this is something that I don't think has like
an age limit on or no restriction.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
It's a great way to digest something that could be
very heavy in a very under you know, simplified, but
also heartwarming way. So yeah, thank you so much for
doing the work and I appreciate your time.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Thank you so much you.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
K Pop Demon Hunters may be animated, but its heart
is very real and beating strong. Whether you're a longtime
fan of K pop or just a lover of bold storytelling,
you have to watch this. K Pop Demon Hunters is
now streaming on Netflix. Thank you for listening to our interviews.
Check it out if you want to be sure to
subscribe to Pride wherever you watch and listen to podcasts,
(13:32):
and follow us on social media at Pride. See you
next time.
Straw Hut Media.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
So we're allowed to talk about spoilers in this right now.
You know what, why don't well you skip that because
I do not want to give anything away because it
was so good.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Okay, yeah, Hi, I'm Kitlyin McDaniel and welcome back to Pride.
This week, I have a special guest star joining me,
Calex Kwan, who is an actor, creator, and model who
you may know from RuPaul's Drag Race. He is going
to be co hosting with me and leading these wonderful interviews.
(00:37):
But before we get into all of that, we have
to talk about this week's topic. So if you're anything
like me and you're on the internet constantly, then you've
probably seen something called K Pop Demon Hunters. I swear
when I have edits on my feed. If it's not
Love Island drama, then it's this, and I'm definitely not
(00:59):
mad about either. I mean, I'm in for all of
the drama. So it's a really really groundbreaking movie and
if you haven't seen it, you definitely should on Netflix now.
But before we have to just get into everything that
this movie follows. So this is a high energy, high
emotion adventure that follows a trio of K pop idols
(01:21):
who double as secret demon slayers. So there's not just
killer choreography and viral visuals. The film digs into something
much deeper, which is shame, identity, and the courage to
be yourself. We literally talked with the creators and they
said straight up that the film is inspired by Coming
(01:42):
Out of the Closet. So even though it's not outwardly queer,
it definitely has those undertones of embracing your true self,
dealing with shame, everything that goes into that, which is
so relatable. Plus, the three girls that lead the film
are icons, so you have to check it out. Klex
is going to talk to all of them about all
(02:03):
of that, about coming out of the closet, dealing with shame,
having a support group, and so much more. So if
that floats your boat, then let's go.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I absolutely love the film. As a cape pop fan, myself,
as an anime fan, myself, as an literally anything Asian,
I'm very very much in love with I feel like
you guys had a huge responsibility to put together a
combination of animation, cape pop culture and also a rabid
(02:45):
fan base. You know, like everybody's so excited about seeing
these kind of projects come up, so I wanted to see,
like Leslie the action right, Like there's so much action
in this film. How I wanted to first and foremost
ask you, how did you balance that? How how do
you find the right mixture of K pop culture, which
in itself is a huge responsibility and a film that's
(03:10):
animated and also the action. How did this all come together?
Because it also touches very deep and mature themes in
some ways, but it also makes it so simple and
so understandable that even children can understand it.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
It was just I don't know, just putting everything that
we wanted into a soup and or a puzzle Like
I think it's more puzzle pieces and shaking it all
up and then taking them out and just really trying
to place everything in the right thing. But it took many,
many iterations for every scene for the entire movie, because
(03:46):
there were so many pieces that kind of needed to
overlap and kind of come together, and any scene that
had music in it was just very They were very
difficult to do. We had many iterations of the song
and the storyboards, and then every department that came in
felt the same way. Like they wanted to make a
(04:08):
movie like this. We are all animation fans, and they all.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Were like, yes, this is what I love.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
Finally I wanted to work on something like this. So yeah,
it was a huge team effort.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I can personally say that you guys did an incredible
job with it. The music carries definitely the storyline, but
it's it doesn't in such a way that it moves
the story forward, which I thought was very impressive. We
just discussed this, but I was curious as to how
did you manage to choreograph the battle scenes with the
music as you move the story forward? But you just
perfectly answered that question. As far as like the costume
(04:44):
design and the character design, I thought you did also
a great job because there's I mean a huge K
drama fan myself, so I noticed that you borrowed Did
you borrow some of that as well, because I saw
some influence potentially.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, actual actual footage from K dramas
that we would reference and the animators would would kind of,
you know, be very inspired by.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Yeah, we had a huge you know, mirror board like
the reference position at Aline that had hundreds of gifts
of different moments from because you know, like the badass
lead of a K drama, perfect dude who slightly feels
some feelings for the first time he eyelids do the
little fluttery thing. Yes, And we have just forty gifts
of that that we give to our animators. And the
(05:31):
best part, like Maggie said, was the animators are like
fans of K dramas, many of them were Korean, and
they're like, I finally get to animate this thing that
I love and do my take on it in animation.
So that was that felt like we tapped into this
pent up sense of influences and inspirations and within just
our crew and it made it so natural.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah, definitely filling a gap there. I think we've all
been waiting for something like this, So this is great
one of the things. And I'll probably end with one
last question that is in regards to the actual storyline.
The storyline, and I was mentioned this to the cast
as well. You touch on the concept of shame, and
I thought this was such an incredible take, unexpected even
(06:16):
to be able to address something that is part of
everybody's life and yet we don't talk often enough about
my personal personally. I love reading and I read somewhere
that the solution to shame is empathy, and I find
that how do you manage to bring all of this
(06:37):
together into your storyline and address it in such a
way that can be understood? I come from, of course,
with a gay outlet LGBTQ plus, so a lot of
our viewers and readers, you know, deal with these themes
another different, different environment, but similar concept. How did you
(06:58):
address this so carefully and so masterfully?
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Well, thank you, But you know, actually we we when
we were crafting the story, we used to always compare
it a Routney's story is like she's coming out of
the closet, coming clean to her her parents, who is
you know, is wanting her to be something that she's not.
And so yeah, it was just kind of naturally part
of the kind of crafting of it and the storytelling.
(07:25):
And yeah, I just.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Thank you for this. It was wonderful and I'm sure
everybody will absolutely appreciate that. Definitely, our readers.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Will thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Thank you so much. This is such an incredible movie.
I was so excited to meet you all. And also
(07:57):
you represent your character so well. You're looking credit and
needless to say, the characters also are looking incredible. The
fashion is on point. I wanted to first and foremost
start by asking you all what you thought of the
script when you first read it, Like, I'm so curious.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
I mean, I was so excited. It has everything we love, right,
It's like this magical world and it's k pup and
it's girls kicking ass.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Let's go yep more. Also, what I loved about it.
One of the things that I noticed about the movie,
because I was honestly just glued to it, is how
much it touches on the concept of shame. And that's
something I really love. And it really goes head onto
(08:41):
it right, Like you don't really realize it what kind
of a journey you're going into until you're going through
and it's like, oh my god, this is this is
touching so succinctly on shame. And I took some time
because I'm a huge Brene Brown fan, and one of
the things that she mentioned in one of her books
is that shame is intensely, intensely feeling painful or experience
(09:02):
of believing that we're flawed and therefore unworthy of love,
belonging in connection. And I felt like the movie really
addresses that. So my first question is going to be
directed to Arden, because you play Rumy the being that
the storyline so complex, and how did it personally resonate
with you? Did it draw inspiration for personal experience? And
(09:25):
what is your advice for anyone looking to be brave
and sharing their truth?
Speaker 4 (09:29):
Yeah, I mean I relate with Rumy so much, maybe
too much. I feel like, and we've talked about this
a lot, that everybody has their own types of demons
or things that they're battling, their insecurities and things are
scared of or you know. I think for Roomy it's
she's going through this identity crisis but also trying to
(09:50):
do it all. And I would say for anyone who's
struggling with it, my advice is one. I think having
community is really important your friends. I think for Roumy
without Mira and Zoe, she wouldn't have made it.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yeah, And I think.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Also knowing that you're never the only one, Like, everyone
is going through something on some level, and I think
comparison is the worst thing, and so it's one of
those just be you and experience your journey on your
own at your own pace, and everyone's Yeah, everyone's going
(10:28):
through something, and so it's okay.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
That honestly was perfect answer, and honestly what I was
trying to get to because as you know, gayeties and
the Gay Outlet and a lot of gay people struggle
with finding themselves and understanding and sharing sharing their truth
with others. Well, this is not directly a gay film,
of course, it does have undertones of understanding yourself and
being able to share your truth with others. So on
(10:53):
the other hand, for may and g Young, what was
your reaction with Rumy's revelation. I'm just curious what may
Or and Zoe thought and how they process these emotions,
Like what do you think was helpful for them to
come to terms and move forward?
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Oh that's so we're allowed to talk about spoilers in
this right now, Like.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You know what, why don't will you skip that? Because
I do not want to give anything away because it
was so good? Okay? And lastly, the key takeaway what
would you like to have your audience at being so young?
What is something that you would like your audience to
take away from this film?
Speaker 6 (11:31):
I mean, so much of this is like the demons
in a lot of ways are really like a metaphor
for the critics, both in the world around you and
the ones in your head. And I think the women
in the film are powerful because they embrace who they
are and they're proud of who they are. I think
that's the journey of really all three women in different ways,
of them finding themselves. So I think your most powerful
(11:55):
when you're truest to yourself, and would you give yourself
love and the world around you love? And I hope
that kids take away that message. And that's also it's
just a really fun movie that is honestly so.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Heartworm for me. I really wish that this kind of
film had come out when I was younger.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
So, oh, thank you were saying that too. I mean,
it's never too late. But this is the movie that
you know, we wish we grew up with.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
And that's why we're here, right We're creating the content
that we wish we had available when we were younger,
So now we get to give it to ourselves basically too.
Just like being part of it is so surreal.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
Yeah, And I feel like even though we're grown up,
like we could still be kids and we can enjoy it.
And I feel like that's what I also hope people
take away from this is I think sometimes people think
an animated film is just for kids, but it's not.
I feel like animated films are literally one of my favorites,
and this is something that I don't think has like
an age limit on or no restriction.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
It's a great way to digest something that could be
very heavy in a very under you know, simplified, but
also heartwarming way. So yeah, thank you so much for
doing the work and I appreciate your time.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Thank you so much you.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
K Pop Demon Hunters may be animated, but its heart
is very real and beating strong. Whether you're a longtime
fan of K pop or just a lover of bold storytelling,
you have to watch this. K Pop Demon Hunters is
now streaming on Netflix. Thank you for listening to our interviews.
Check it out if you want to be sure to
subscribe to Pride wherever you watch and listen to podcasts,
(13:32):
and follow us on social media at Pride. See you
next time.
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