It started with the Easter Bunny. Dressed as the holiday favorite, Ming-Na Wen started to take the stage at her third-grade play when she tripped and fell. The audience erupted into laughter. Some little girls would have been mortified. Wen, though, loved the reaction.
The acting bug had taken its first bite.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Wen continued to dream about becoming an actress. At Mt. Lebanon High School, she took part in "an incredible arts program," and she remembers studying with teachers James Lutz and Cindy Goode, among others. Lutz, in particular, inspired her.
"Mr. Lutz taught us about [focusing on] the ensemble and not about [focusing on] yourself," she recalled. "I always really loved that about the theater. It's about the triumph of the team."