Born in Riverside, California to Chinese immigrant parents, Garrett Wang (pronounced Wong) spent his formative years on the move, living in Indiana, Bermuda and Tennessee. He moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA where he majored in East Asian Studies and minored in theater. He was especially proud of his portrayal of Michio Tanaka in Wakako Yamauchi’s play "12-1-A," which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the wrongful internment of Japanese American civilians during World War II. In his first stage performance outside of UCLA, Garrett garnered critical acclaim as the lead in Chay Yew's controversial play, "Porcelain."

For five years, Garrett focused on theater and attempted to convince his Asian parents and relatives that acting was a viable profession as opposed to becoming a Doctor as he had originally planned since Eighth Grade. With h ...