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In a recent interview with PEOPLE, McMechan revealed that when she joined the writing team for the project in 2020, she had not yet fully recognized her sexuality.
“When I started the project, I had no idea that I was queer,” McMechan said. “Then we went into the pandemic, and everyone was soul-searching and realizing things about themselves.”
Over the following years, the screenwriter came out as bisexual to friends before later sharing the news with her parents in 2023. Raised in a religious household in Oakhurst, California, McMechan described the experience as emotionally challenging and said it remains an ongoing conversation within her family.
How KPop Demon Hunters Took on a New Meaning
The film follows Rumi, a young K-pop star who struggles to hide her half-demon identity out of fear of rejection. As McMechan worked on successive drafts of the screenplay, she found herself relating more deeply to the character's story.
“Every time we rewatched it or finished another draft, I was at such a different place in my life, where it took on a new meaning every single time,” she explained.
McMechan said she never intentionally incorporated her personal experiences into the script because she was still processing her sexuality at the time.
“I wasn't even talking about this when we were writing,” she said. “I'm sure it bled into the writing, even though I did not tell anyone.”
A Scene That Resonated Personally
One of the film's most emotional moments occurs when Rumi confronts her adoptive mother, Celine, asking her to accept her true identity after it has been exposed to her friends.
When Celine suggests they can “fix” the situation and hide Rumi's demon marks, Rumi responds by asking why she cannot be loved for who she truly is.
McMechan said the scene became increasingly meaningful as she navigated her own relationship with her parents.
“By the fourth, fifth screenings, it was that scene where it's like, ‘Why won't you love me — all of me?’” she said. “This literally feels how I feel with my mom because she's so religious.”
She added that watching the sequence now still brings an emotional response because it reflects the experiences many LGBTQ+ people face when seeking acceptance from family members.
LGBTQ+ Fans Embrace the Film
The writer also expressed gratitude for the strong support KPop Demon Hunters has received from LGBTQIA+ audiences.
“It’s so cool,” McMechan said. “There's no group of people happier than a bunch of queer people dressed up as these girls.”
According to McMechan, seeing fans connect with the film's message of authenticity and self-acceptance has been one of the most rewarding aspects of its success.
Hannah McMechan's Rise in Hollywood
A graduate of Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television, McMechan formed a creative partnership with fellow writer Danya Jimenez during college. The duo first gained industry attention through the Black List x Women in Film Episodic Lab before working on projects including Disney Channel's Gabby Duran & the Unsittables and the Ren & Stimpy reboot.
McMechan and Jimenez later joined the writing team for KPop Demon Hunters, collaborating with directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans to develop the story of Huntr/x, a globally famous K-pop girl group that secretly battles supernatural forces inspired by Korean mythology.
The film's popularity has significantly raised McMechan's profile in Hollywood, with several high-profile projects reportedly in development, including Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, the Apple TV+ series Brothers, and an original queer western feature.
For McMechan, however, the personal impact of KPop Demon Hunters remains just as important as its commercial success.
“I can't believe this thing took on a whole different meaning over the course of the six years that we were a part of the project,” she said.
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