Seth Rogen and Will Reiser on 50/50 and How Life Sometimes Needs a Rewrite

"They say to write what you know. Unfortunately, in the case of screenwriter Will Reiser, what he knew was cancer. Six years ago, Reiser was diagnosed with cancer in his back, and — after surgery to remove the tumor — decided to handle the life-changing situation the only way he knew how: by finding the humor. Thus, 50/50 was born.

Out Sept. 30, the charming and tearjerking 50/50 isn’t an exact account of what Reiser went through — though it does feature many hallmarks of his own life, including Seth Rogen. The 50/50 star and producer is Reiser’s good friend off-screen, and fills the same position onscreen for Reiser stand-in Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). In fact, it was at Rogen’s urging that Reiser completed the script for 50/50."

SEE: Movieline