Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt talk cancer and comedy in "50/50"

(CBS) Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are gaining rave reviews for their starring turns in "50/50," a dramatic comedy about two friends coping with a cancer diagnosis. The film is based on Rogen's real-life experiences with one of his best friends, Will Reiser, who served as the film's screenwriter and also battled cancer himself several years ago.

"We were just discussing how there were no movies about cancer that actually portrayed what our experience was like," Reiser said while standing alongside Rogen on the red carpet at the film's New York premiere. "And we felt like if there was room for a cancer comedy, then we should make it."

"We were desperate to kind of mine anything positive out of the situation," Rogen added, "And we decided to make a movie out of it. That was our version of getting laid. When you're a writer, you're version of getting laid is making a movie."

"Women don't really want to talk to us," Reiser chimed in, further conveying the constant joking between the two.

Gordon-Levitt was also on hand for the premiere, and spoke to us about fighting sadness with laughter (his older brother, Dan, died while "50/50" was in the middle of production).

"I think the truth of the situation is that funny things happen even in the midst of a horrible circumstance," he said. "And '50/50' more than anything, more than being a comedy, and more than being a drama, I think it's just honest. It's a pretty realistic story. And if you're going to be realistic, sometimes you gotta laugh."

"50/50" opens in theaters nationwide on Sept. 30th.

Watch more of our interviews with Rogen, Gordon-Levitt, and their co-stars Anjelica Huston and Anna Kendrick by clicking on the video at the top of this story.