Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says he is Johnny Depp’s Hannibal Lecter after spat over dogs

A politician locked in a war of words with Johnny Depp has boasted that he got into the Hollywood star’s head like movie serial killer Hannibal Lecter.

Australian deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce hit back after Depp joked that the ruddy-faced Joyce appeared to be “inbred with a tomato”.

Their dispute began a year ago when Mr Joyce, who is also the agriculture minister, threatened to have Depp’s pet dogs Boo and Pistol put down when Depp’s wife Amber Heard avoided quarantine rules by flying them into Australia in a private jet. She was joining him on the set of the latest Pirates Of The Caribbean movie.

Depp, 52, ridiculed Mr Joyce this week on US television, telling talk show host Jimmy Kimmel: “He looks somehow inbred with a tomato... I was a little worried he might explode.”

Mr Joyce replied by telling reporters: “I’m inside his head, I’m pulling little strings and pulling little levers. Long after I’ve forgotten about Mr Depp, he’s remembering me. I’m turning into his Hannibal Lecter,” referring to the Silence Of The Lambs cannibal killer.

Depp and his wife recorded a 40-second videotaped apology last month as part of a deal with prosecutors that allowed Heard to avoid a conviction, after pleading guilty to falsifying documents to conceal the dogs’ arrival.

Joyce said Depp looked like he was auditioning for The Godfather in the video.

Depp poked fun at the quarantine row last year when he said he “killed my dogs and ate them” under orders from a “sweaty, big-gutted man from Australia”.

Follow @StandardShowbiz for more entertainment news.