Australia’s deputy PM ‘pulling strings’ in Depp’s head like ‘Hannibal Lecter’

Australia's Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has said that he is "pulling strings" in Johnny Depp's head, like film villain Hannibal Lecter.

It comes after the actor said on a US television show that Mr Joyce looks "somehow inbred with a tomato".

Depp's wife Amber Heard avoided a conviction in court last month after illegally bringing two dogs into Australia.

But the couple were made to issue an unusual video apology.

The animosity started in 2015, when Mr Joyce threatened to kill Yorkshire terriers Pistol and Boo, which were illegally brought into Australia by Depp's wife Amber Heard.

This kicked off a strange series of events that culminated with Heard attending an Australian court in April to plead guilty to a charge of falsifying documents.
More serious charges against Heard were dropped — she avoided a conviction and the case appeared to be settled.

But Depp breathed life into the saga when he made the "inbred tomato" comment on comedian Jimmy Kimmel's US talk show on Tuesday.

"It's not a criticism. I'm just saying, I was a little worried… he might explode," Depp said.

He also referred to Mr Joyce as "Barnaby Jones".

Mr Joyce responded to the actor's comments by saying: "I'm turning into Johnny Depp's Hannibal Lecter."

"I'm inside his head, I'm pulling little strings, pulling little levers," Mr Joyce told the BBC through a spokesman, referencing the manipulative serial killer from Silence of the Lambs.

He had previously said the end result of the saga was a message going around the world "that if you come into this nation and you don't obey our laws, you're in trouble".
Unscripted absurdity

If you're still confused by the case, here's a timeline of events so far:
April 2015: Heard arrives in Australia on private jet with dogs Pistol and Boo. Depp is filming the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie on the Gold Coast. Pistol and Boo are not declared to immigration officers.

May 2015: A dog grooming salon posts pictures of Pistol and Boo on social media, alerting authorities to their presence. Barnaby Joyce, who is agriculture minister at the time, threatens to have the dogs euthanised within 50 hours if they weren't removed. Pistol and Boo are flown home to Los Angeles on a private jet.

July 2015: Heard is charged with failing to declare the dogs.

September 2015: Depp says at the Venice Film Festival that he killed and ate Pistol and Boo under the orders of a "sweaty, big-gutted man from Australia". He also says during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that he will fly back to Australia and "assault that man" if Heard is jailed.

FILE — In this file image made from video released by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources on April 18, 2016, actor Johnny Depp and his wife, Amber Heard speak in a videotaped apology played during a hearing at the Southport Magistrates Court on Queensland state’s Gold Coast. Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce boasted on Wednesday, May 25 that he had got into Johnny Depp’s head like fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter after the Hollywood actor quipped that the ruddy-faced lawmaker appeared to be «inbred with a tomato.» (Australian Government via AP Video) AUSTRALIA OUT

February 2016: Depp jokes that Mr Joyce has invited him to stay on his couch next time he is in Australia.

April 2016: Heard and Depp attend court in Queensland. Heard is let off with a good behaviour bond. They also make an apology video promoting the importance of Australia quarantine regime, which is widely seen as stilted and surreal. Mr Joyce makes fun of the video, saying Depp looks as though he is "auditioning for The Godfather".

May 2015: Depp says Joyce looks "somehow inbred with a tomato". Joyce says he is pulling strings in Depp's mind like Hannibal Lecter.