Stars galore at "New Year's Eve" NYC premiere

(CBS) Following his last movie "Valentine's Day" (a massive box office success), director Gary Marshall has assembled yet another all-star cast for his latest holiday-themed romantic comedy, "New Year's Eve."

Told in a series of vignettes, the film explores a range of characters preparing for the big night. Many of the cast members spoke to CBSNews.com about their experiences making the movie, and their different plot lines, at the New York City red carpet premiere.

Pictures: "New Year's Eve" premieres in NYC and L.A.

Rober De Niro portrays a man fighting a terminal illness who has one last wish for the new year.

"I had a good time doing this with Gary Marshall," the veteran actor said of his director, "He's easy with people, and that creates a good feeling." De Niro didn't want to give too much away about his character, as he wants audiences to be surprised by what happens during the course of the plot.

Jessica Biel's character in the film ends up going into labor shortly before the ball drops.

"I've never been pregnant before," Biel told CBSNews.com, "but I guess that's a pretty good New Year's gift, right?"

Zac Efron wheels across New York playing a bike messenger running a series of errands for a businesswoman played by Michelle Pfeiffer. He described his scenes in the film with Pfeiffer as an adventure.

"We go all through New York City. We got to all five boroughs. We're really the storyline where you get to see the most of the city. We're experiencing all the different sort of magic moments, and I'm just helping Michelle's character let loose," Efron told us.

Sarah Jessica Parker plays mother to a teenage daughter, in the form of Abigail Breslin. Their relationship is tested when Breslin's character wants to go out and party at midnight.

"Letting go of a 15-year-old... I suspect it's probably harder than one even theorizes," Parker said alongside husband Matthew Broderick on the red carpet.

Times Square is almost a character in and of itself in the film, and director Gary Marshall was keen to let everyone know his latest feature was shot on location.

"We didn't go to Canada... We were here!" Marshall stressed to CBSNews.com.

You can see how each storyline unfolds when "New Year's Eve" opens in theaters on Friday. See more of our interviews with the cast by watching the video at the top of this page.