Johnny Depp has an alternative career lined up should he ever decide to quit acting – he’s a secret portrait artiste.

The ” Pirates of the Caribbean ” actor has been nurturing his talent for years and picks up a paintbrush whenever he has difficulty sleeping.

He’s been honing his talents by creating oil portraits of literary heroes and celebrity friends.

“I started painting people I admire, like (author Jack) Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Nelson Algren, Marlon Brando, Patti Smith, my girl (Vanessa Paradis), my kids. I painted (late journalist) Hunter (S. Thompson) a couple of times (and) Keith Richards…What I love to do is paint people’s faces, you know, their eyes. Because you want to find that emotion, see what’s going on behind their eyes,” he said.