‘Twilight’ co-stars on staying on the sidelines (happily)

Although Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart (as Edward and Bella) receive the lion’s share of the heart throbbing and tabloid attention for “The Twilight Saga,” the peripheral players in the series have also seen their lives change. And with this weekend’s opening of “New Moon,” co-stars Michael Welch and Anna Kendrick  are getting ready for the next step in their fan mail-soaked careers.

“My character hasn’t changed that much,” says the 22-year-old Welch, who plays swooning third wheel Mike Newton. “Mike is still head over heels in love with Bella. Only this time he gets caught up in the whole vampire-werewolf love triangle.”

Co-star Kendrick, who reprises her role as Bella’s friend Jessica, says that despite her elevated role in “New Moon,” she hasn’t fallen prey to the sort of media swarming that Stewart courts.

“I have my cake and eat it, too,” she says. “I go about my day, and no one recognizes me. I can still leave the house.”