"Life is challenging and exhilarating," alumnus Philip Solomon says of his Hollywood career. "It's also scary, but I wouldn't have it any other way. . CCM taught me a lot about collaboration, working with other artists of other disciplines. It also gave me a really good understanding of the technical aspects that we deal with." He taught himself, however, to breath fire, which he does here impromptu at a friend's wedding reception. (Note the bride and groom in the background.) "This was during a toast. The facility manager practically had a coronary. No worries though; the ceilings were like 50 feet high."

photo/Pascha Solomon

Since Justin Smith was a toddler, he has wished broken legs on total strangers -- not in the literal sense, of course, but in the theatrical one. Yelling "break a leg" has been his automatic response anytime someone waves at him. After all, that's what the 5-year-old grew up saying whenever his actress mother, Diana Maria Riva, a UC alumna, headed out the door.

Los Angeles youngsters with parents who work in front of cameras simply look at life a little differently than the rest of the world. And life is different for the families of drama alumni from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Take 7-year-old Henry Solomon, for instance. When he started school, his alumnus dad, Philip, had to sit the little guy down and explain why he shouldn't act so surprised when his friends talked about their parents' occupation. Other parents don't "juggle fire while walking on a wire," he explained, trying to suppress a laugh. "After being with all my friends in the circus community, he thought every dad could do aerial work on a trapeze and breathe flame balls," recalls Philip, who works with Cirque Du Soleil. "That's what all adults do in his world. So he's kind of adjusting to that now."

Riva sums it up nicely, "We're cool parents."

Welcome to Hollywood's world of rising stars -- a place where actors laugh at the fact they're better known for their Imodium AD commercials than their movie credits. It's a life of constant auditions and frequent rejections. But it's also a life where actors get married, buy houses and try to raise kids in a normal lifestyle even though paychecks and schedules are highly unpredictable.

Overall, it's a relatively new niche for CCM alumni. Unlike musical theater students, who have long maintained a Broadway presence through networking and producing senior showcases for agents, drama students only began showcasing their works in L.A. within the last four years. Drama graduates from the early '90s "just did it on their own -- the hard way," says CCM's drama director Richard Hess, MFA (CCM) '93.

Hess is particularly proud of a trio whose joint studies at CCM overlapped more than 10 years ago: Solomon, CCM '93; Riva, CCM '91, MFA (CCM) '95; and Cooper Thornton, MFA (CCM) '92." The path these three have made is just glorious," Hess says.

Their paths, however, are somewhat different, as the three of them explained to "UC Magazine" in a joint interview in L.A.

Alumnus Cooper Thornton came back to CCM in the spring '07 to conduct a master class on audition techniques with the senior drama students. Later in the evening, he received the college's Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award.

photo/Andrew Higley

At press time in the spring, Thornton could be seen on the silver screen in two motion pictures, "Fracture" with Sir Anthony Hopkins and "Zodiac" with Jake Gyllenhaal, as well as in the series "House, M.D." He has also made a nice income from commercials, including a rather famous 20-second Imodium AD spot, in which he spent nine hours improvising -- and wrinkling -- in a hot tub.

Riva, on the other hand, "can't book a commercial to save my life," to which Thornton smiles politely and says, "You're doing fine, sweetheart." Not only has she appeared on more than 60 TV shows, including recurring roles on "West Wing" and "Studio 60 on Sunset Strip," she expects her big break to come from a starring role she has in a new Lifetime Network series "Side Order of Life," premiering July 15.

Solomon's career path diverges the most, as illustrated by his performances on giant stilts on both the Jerry Lewis Telethon and a national IHOP commercial. Although he will appear in Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour 3" in August, his skills at juggling machetes, breathing fire, walking on a high wire and flying from a trapeze -- many of those things done simultaneously -- have earned him a reputation as "a professional freak," he sometimes jokes. Hess describes him as "an American shaman, renaissance man, creative artist, force of life."

Labels aside, Solomon is a musician, composer, actor and producer of live theatrical shows for corporations such as Disney, Warner Brothers and McDonald's. He is also Cirque Du Soleil's coordinator, coach and trainer for its social outreach program, Cirque Du Monde, which teaches circus skills to at-risk youth, helping them build self-esteem, confidence and social skills.

Thornton says Solomon is the "hardest-working guy" in the business. Solomon returns the compliment, "I really admire what these two are doing. I look at them and see what a strong sense of self they have. I hope to be doing some of the same things they're doing in the future."

Concern for the future comes from him acknowledging a "burnout factor" exists. "I give myself ample downtime," he says, "because at some point, I'm not going to be able to jump on stilts and walk a wire anymore. My body is going to say, 'Phil, you're done, baby.'"

Diana Maria Riva as she appears in her new TV series "Side Order of Life," which began production in May '07. She says her training at CCM gave her a good sense of discipline, which "you don't see enough of out here."

But for now, all parties are content. "It's my dream job," Riva states, "because, No. 1, I'm doing exactly what I love to do, and No. 2, I'm doing well enough that I can provide for my family. It's afforded me the luxury of letting my husband, Mike, be Mr. Mom for our two children (Justin, 5, and Sophia, 2). He loves it."

Thornton agrees, "I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I'm working really hard, and it's paying off. Sometimes it surprises me that I'm making it. I feel so blessed." Solomon puts their success into perspective by pointing out, "We're not on the A-list or headlining our own shows. It's a steady progression toward that, and we get a taste of that. For me, it's not necessarily about being the superstar and having my name in lights. It's a blessing just to be able to work at what I love."

"Even when it's awful, it's never boring," Thornton adds. "I get to be different people all the time. It is still very challenging, but I also get to play. I love it."

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