Hollywood Popular Artists

Sep 11th 2012, 20:44

When a celebrity takes up a cause, there are usually more than a few cynical eye rolls and claims of publicity stunts as a result. Johnny Depp's work with the West Memphis Three, however, deserves some genuine recognition.

The story of those three men, their wrongful conviction, imprisonment, and release is the subject of a new documentary from producer Peter Jackson, "West of Memphis."

MTV News caught up with Depp and producer Damien Echols to discuss how the actor became involved with the case and the documentary.

"I was looking at various documentary filmmakers to do a project, and I ran across 'Paradise Lost,' [co-directors] Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, and of course that was my initial interest in the case," Depp said. "Before I saw anything else or read anything else, I was instantly struck by how heinous a crime [it was], but also the wave of injustice that followed it. As a person, I couldn't stand by and allow that to happen."

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