Seo Hye Han spends a lot of her time tripping around magical wonderlands. A principal dancer with the Boston Ballet since 2016, Han has played Cinderella and Clara in “The Nutcracker.”

“Those are fairy tales, which are like fantasies where you need to look pretty,” Han told the Boston Herald with a little laugh.

Her upcoming lead role in “Roméo et Juliette” may have magic to it, but it doesn’t come with a fairy tale ending. It’s a part that leans on a dancer’s acting chops more than most ballets.

“In this one, you have to scream on the stage,” Han said. “We don’t make the noise, but with our facial expressions we are screaming and crying. I’m actually enjoying it so much.”

Han is a big fan of this imagining of the Shakespeare story, which runs May 29 through June 8 at the Citizens Opera House. While “Romeo & Juliet” has been done many times as a ballet, it has never been done quite like choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot’s 1996 adaptation. Han has a unique understanding of this having danced as Juliet in 2017 in the Boston Ballet’s performance of John Cranko’s rendition from the ’60s.

“This version of Juliet is totally different from what I did seven years ago,” Han said. “Cranko’s version of Juilet was sometimes very fragile. In this version, she is a much stronger woman. She knows what she wants. She’s bold. She’s fearless.”

Han says the contrasts between characters come alive through Maillot’s choreography. Maillot’s steps dig into contemporary dance while keeping elements of classical ballet. As a lover of the contemporary, Han finds his vision on Juliet authentic and powerful.

When she began her ballet studies in Korea, Han spent most of her time learning staples such as “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “The Nutcracker.” Only later did she discover her passion for more modern choreography.

“When I joined the Boston ballet, I found we did lots of contemporary ballet, lots of classics, and you have to be good at both,” she said. “It’s not easy for classic dancers to perform contemporary (at the highest level) but I engage with contemporary (quickly) because I love it so much.”

What’s not new about this “Roméo et Juliette” is the music. Just as it has in half a dozen previous iterations, Sergei Prokofiev’s 1940 score powers the performance (if you don’t know it, Prokofiev’s work is very definition of grand and sweeping). Han is happy the score wasn’t tinkered with.

“This is one of my favorite pieces of music and I actually listen to it often,” she said. “But now that I’m doing ‘Roméo et Juliette,’ I listen to it every day. Whenever I drive, whenever I warm up, I just keep listening to it. I listen at home with my daughter and she’s like, ‘Mommy, what is this music?’”

Han’s daughter isn’t as impressed (she’d rather listen to “The Nutcracker”). Han says that’s fine considering the intensity of the work.

“There are so many deaths, so much hate, so many fights,” she said. “It’s violent. It’s a tragedy.”

Unlike those fairy tales and fantasies, “Roméo et Juliette” isn’t for kids. Or for the faint of heart. Or strict traditionalists. Which makes it an exciting choice for the Boston Ballet.

For tickets and details, visit bostonballet.org