Entertainment

If you'd have asked me yesterday if there was any way Johnny Depp could possibly get any hotter, I would have scoffed. He's the epitome of hotness, with his sexy bad boy ways, but grab your fans ladies because news about his latest ink just sends his smoldering charm to new heights.

At the premiere of the new documentary "West of Memphis" last night he revealed to the Associated Press that he and Damien Echols, the man he helped free from death row after 18 years in prison, have matching tattoos. 

I told you it was hot.

While tattoos in the name of a love interest aren't usually a good idea (Remember he sports one that reads "Wino Forever," after his break up with Winona Ryder kind of messed up that "Winona Forever" ink he had.), this one (or these ones? He's kind of vague as to how many or what they depict) are exactly what the best tattoos are made of -- deep, meaningful experiences in life that you won't regret. And what could be more deep or meaningful than giving a man his freedom?

Deep became involved in the Echols' case after seeing a documentary "Paradise" Lost" that tells the story of  "The West Memphis Three," made up of Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin, who were in prison for the murders of three boys in West Memphis in 1993. He told the Associated Press:

You saw those initial documentaries, you make a choice: Am I going to watch the thing and go 'Wow, that's really horrible,' and go out and get a milkshake,

Depp didn't just go get a milkshake. He along with others celebrities, including Eddie Vedder and Natalie Mains of the Dixie Chicks, brought much publicity to the case and helped to pay the legal fees of the men. Depp even took Echols in after he was released.  Echols, 37, told the AP how much Depp's support has meant to him.

He's been with us every single step of the way. Since we've gotten out, he's become like a brother to me. And that's one of the things we always do just as part of that bond is whenever you get tattoos like that, it's something you carry with you through the rest of your life and it's really meaningful.

Depp's humble nonchalance about it all just makes it even better. He told USA Today yesterday, '“I'm essentially a gas station attendant with a very strange job. I don't think of myself as a celebrity. I'm here ... as a friend. I'm here to support my friends and to attain the proper definition of justice for all."

There are actors we lust after and admire because of their charm, good looks, rock-hard abs, and acting abilities, but Depp tops all of that with something more substantial. He's shown he's passionate, kind, and determined to make a difference in the world. Pretty much nothing is hotter than that.

What do you think of Johnny Depp's matching tattoo?

Image via k_millo/Flickr