The end of the “Twilight” series is nigh and its stars are already looking to step away from their otherworldly, undead personas. For their next projects, the three leads have selected roles that require few fangs and no sparkly makeup: Kristen Stewart plays a teenage stripper; Robert Pattinson joins the circus; and Taylor Lautner saves the world.

After hitting the A-list playing Bella, the lovestruck heroine of “Twilight”, Kristen Stewart could have easily developed a nice cushy career starring in Nicholas Sparks weepies. Instead she went for something dark and daring. “Welcome to the Rileys” — which also stars James Gandolfini of “Sopranos” fame and Oscar-nominee Melissa Leo — was the talk of this year’s Sundance Film Fest. In the flick, she plays a troubled teenaged stripper who finds herself adopted by a grieving couple. Critics have praised her performance, where she bares her soul, and a lot else, for the part. She’s even getting some early Oscar buzz. The flick opens in November.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Stewart has gone edgy for a part — remember her turn in this year’s “The Runaways” — and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be her last. She is slated to star as Marylou in the adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s seminal book “On the Road.” That movie is set to open in May 2011.

See the Exclusive Trailer for ‘Welcome to the Rileys’