| Marcello Mastroianni | Guido Anselmi |
| Claudia Cardinale | Claudia |
| Anouk Aimée | Luisa Anselmi (as Anouk Aimee) |
| Sandra Milo | Carla |
| Madeleine LeBeau | French Actress |
| Mario Pisu | Mezzabotta |
| Barbara Steele | Gloria Morin |
| Neil Robinson | Agent for French actor |
| Mino Doro | Claudia's agent |
| Mario Tarchetti | Claudia's boss |
| Eugene Walter | The Journalist |
| Gilda Dahlberg | Journalist's Wife |
| Caterina Boratto | Fashionable Woman |
| Annie Gorassini | Producer's Girlfriend |
| Ian Dallas | Mindreader |
| Guido Alberti | Producer |
| Mario Conocchia | Director |
Troubled Italian filmmaker Guido Anselmi struggles with creative stasis as he attempts to get a new movie off the ground. Overwhelmed by his work and personal life, the director retreats into his thoughts, which often focus on his loves, both past and present, and frequently wander into fantastical territory. As he tries to sort out his many entanglements, romantic and otherwise, Anselmi finds his production becoming more and more autobiographical.