His professional debut came as a member of a touring theater production for the Imagination Company, which visited schools in the Bay Area and performed short interactive plays for students. He later spent a summer studying at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. It was while taking an acting class at the University of California in Berkeley that Watanabe discovered his passion for performing, and soon after switched his major from English literature to the Dramatic Arts.

Watanabe, whose career to date has been mostly on stage, was born in Los Angeles and raised in nearby Fullerton, CA. I think an Asian American actor is very lucky to play a character for whom he has great empathy in a story that is important to himself and his community.' The more I learn about the experiences from the Nisei who were interned or those in the 100 th or 442 nd, the more I feel connected to my own history. 'Being Japanese American, I'm very proud to have been a part of this production.

'I feel very connected to the stories of the men in ‘Only The Brave,'' says co-star Greg Watanabe.

Cast of only the brave