The 45-year-old actor, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival for his performance in the film, Black Coal, Thin Ice, directed by Chinese filmmaker Diao Yinan, in 2014, eventually finished reading the book after he was invited to perform in a Chinese theatrical production, Faust, adapted from Goethe's book.

"I hesitated to accept the role because I hadn't even read the book and I wasn't sure how to approach it," says Liao, who was soon convinced by the play's producer Lei Ting, an old friend.