James Wen is a Taiwanese model and actor raised in San Chong, Taipei. He is of Hakka descent and graduated from Songshan High School of Agriculture and Industry, focusing on mechanical engineering. He later earned a degree in Communication Management from Shih Hsin University.

During his school years, Wen participated in the television program "Born to Be a Model" and initially aimed to become a political journalist. He trained at Catwalk Modeling Agency, worked as a part-time magazine model, and appeared in commercials. He discovered a passion for acting in his junior year and also worked as a director's assistant at Central Motion Picture Corporation.