Actor, author and artist Sebastian Tillinger takes readers back to Los Angeles in 1999 in his debut memoir, “How the Ferris Wheel Was Broken: A Love Letter to Los Angeles,” offering an intimate look at ambition, insecurity, love and the struggle to establish an identity in the shadow of a famous family.
The son of Broadway director John Tillinger and actress, director and writer Dorothy Lyman, known for All My Children and Mama’s Family, Sebastian Tillinger grew up around the New York theater world. His childhood exposed him to generations of actors, writers, designers, producers and directors, but his own journey as an artist was marked by the pressure of finding success on his own terms.
Written in the voice of Tillinger at age 25, the memoir takes an intentionally unpolished approach to his younger self. Through a stream-of-consciousness narrative, he documents the uncertainty of trying to build an acting career while facing repeated auditions, financial pressures and questions about whether a creative life can coexist with the need to make a living.
Los Angeles becomes more than a setting in the book. It represents a period of reinvention as Tillinger navigates a city filled with opportunity, rejection and the pursuit of fame while approaching the dawn of a new millennium.
The memoir also delves into Tillinger’s complicated romantic life, particularly his relationship with Sarah, whom he first met years earlier in acting class. After reconnecting, their relationship develops into something deeper, eventually leading Tillinger to propose marriage.
But the path to the courthouse is hardly conventional. While waiting to obtain their marriage license, Tillinger gets high, creating one of the many chaotic moments that reveal the contradictions of his younger life. His account of the relationship combines humor and vulnerability as he wrestles with love, commitment and his own insecurities.
The book captures a young artist who is still figuring out what he wants, even as he tries to prove himself professionally and personally.
Tillinger went on to spend two decades living and working in Los Angeles, appearing in films including Hart’s War, Eagle Eye, The Wolf of Wall Street and Café Society, as well as numerous commercials. His career has also included work as a musician, painter and writer.
“How the Ferris Wheel Was Broken “is Tillinger’s first book and offers a personal snapshot of a pivotal period before he fully knew where his artistic path would lead.
Published by Regalo Press, an imprint of Post Hill Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster, the memoir was released July 28, 2026. Tillinger now lives in Connecticut with his wife, makeup artist and beauty specialist Pilar DeMann, and their daughter.