Denis Leary: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone "the real deal" in "Spider-Man"

(CBS News) Although a self-proclaimed "Batman guy," actor and comedian Denis Leary found his way into the new film "The Amazing Spider-Man," a dark take on the superhero story.

Pictures: "The Amazing Spider-Man" premieres around the world
Pictures: Summer films 2012
Pictures: Denis Leary

"The thing I liked about (director Marc Webb's) take was that it was going to be darker and more character-oriented because my favorite Batman stuff is the stuff they're doing now with Christian Bale."

Leary plays a New York City police captain trying to catch the superhero - who is dating his daughter.

"I got to tell you, these kids are great, Emma (Stone) and Andrew (Garfield). They're the real deal," he said.

Leary noted Garfield's willingness to train with the movie's stunt people in an effort to minimize the use of CGI and green screen technology. "He was doing a lot of the stuff that you see in the movie, the swinging and bouncing off trucks. He was actually doing himself. So, there (are) stunts in this movie that haven't been seen before."

In addition to his new film, Leary discussed his family, his son's graduation and his recent - very short - graduation speech. Watch his interview in the video above.

Leary also discussed his involvement with firefighters. He just finished a seven-year run in "Rescue Me," a TV show about firefighters, and was an advocate for firemen with The Leary Firefighters Foundation prior to the series after his cousin's death in the line of duty.

"My admiration is never-ending, and I just, I look at those guys...they're really our first responders. On 9/11, those were our first responders," he said. "I just can't say enough about them, just what they do."

Leary also discussed real-life heroes, politics and the importance of news to a comedian. Watch that portion of his "CBS This Morning" video in the player below.