Johnny Depp: I May Give up Acting

Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has hinted that his days on the big screen could be numbered.

The 50-year-old star, who rose to fame in his early 20s with roles in A Nightmare on Elm Street and 21 Jump Street, described the life of an actor as "a kind of insane option for a human being" and said he was considering bowing out for good.

Despite having several films in the works until 2015, he said that retirement was "probably not too far away" and said he felt overworked after years in the industry.

"At a certain point you start thinking and you know when you add up the amount of dialogue you say per year, for example, and you realise that you've said written words more than you've actually had a chance to say your own words you start thinking about that as a kind of insane option," he told BBC Breakfast.

"So are there quieter things that I wouldn't mind doing? Yeah, I would not mind that."

In 2012, Depp was listed as the highest-paid actor by Guinness World Records, with an estimated fortune of $75m.

The three-time Oscar nominee is starring in Gore Verbinski's adventure drama The Lone Ranger, in which he plays Tonto, the native American sidekick of the all-American hero.

Lone Ranger has received scathing reviews and has performed poorly at the box office.

Asked if he was disappointed by the figure, Johnny gave a firm, "No."

"Critics were especially upset because it didn't really tank. I think they were hoping for it to really take a dive," he said.