In addition to the main cast, Maladolescenza features a talented supporting cast, including:

: Famous for voicing numerous child roles in Italian cinema before transitioning into a prominent career in adult voice-over work.

The supporting cast includes Cristina Gallicchio as Cecilia, the object of Leo's affections, and Giovanni Davoli as Adriano, a charismatic and mysterious figure who becomes a source of fascination for the brothers. The chemistry between the cast members is palpable, adding to the film's sense of authenticity and realism.

Wendel was no stranger to controversial European cinema. Prior to Maladolescenza , she had already shocked audiences with her role in the infamous 1975 giallo film The House with the Laughing Windows . However, her most iconic (and equally controversial) role came just after Maladolescenza : in 1980, she starred opposite David Hess in Lucio Fulci’s grueling exploitation classic The House by the Cemetery , where she played the young girl who repeats the eerie phrase, "The dog is hungry."

The lush, beautiful, yet eerie imagery of the forest—which acts almost as a fourth character in the film—was captured by Stickelbrucks. His cinematography created a stark contrast between the innocent beauty of nature and the dark psychological games of the children.

Ionesco debuted in Roman Polanski's The Tenant (1976) just a year before Maladolescenza . She built a lengthy career in French cinema, working with directors like Chantal Akerman.

In stark contrast to his two young co-stars, Martin Loeb's acting career was short-lived. Born into a family of gallerists (the Loeb family is well-known in the French art world), he began acting in 1974 in Jean Eustache's Mes petites amoureuses .

"Maladolescenza" holds a place in the history of Italian cinema for its contribution to the genre of youth films in the 1970s. It reflects the social and cultural shifts occurring during that period, offering insights into the challenges faced by young people then. The film's exploration of universal themes such as identity, family conflict, and the search for meaning continues to resonate with audiences.

As of 2025, all three leads are still living.

Searching for the is not merely an act of cinephilia. It is an encounter with one of cinema’s most uncomfortable ethical fault lines. The cast—comprising two adolescents who were acted upon by an adult director, and one exploited child actress playing an adult—represents a moment in European art film where the boundaries of legality and morality were deliberately shattered.