Matthew McConaughey is "not running" for political office.

Matthew McConaughey insists he is not running for political office

Matthew McConaughey insists he is not running for political office

The 52-year-old actor pleaded for stricter gun control legislation following the school shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas back in May when 19 children and two teachers were killed and sparked rumours that he would be running for office as a result, but has now insisted that is not the case.

He said: "I am not running for political office. I'm here because on the 24th of May, I got the news that there was a mass shooting in the town that I was born in, Uvalde, Texas. As I said earlier, went home that night, hugged the kids, and held on to them a little bit longer and tighter than usual, the next morning we loaded up and went down to Uvalde."

The 'Dallas Buyers Club' star - who has Levi, 13, Vida, 12, and Livingston, nine, with wife Camila Alves - then went on to claim that both he and his wife are now "different" since returning to his hometown in the aftermath of the shooting.

Speaking on Fox News' 'Special Report', he said: "The main thing that we got out of it, was that every single family that lost a loved one or child said, 'You know what, I just want some way for the loss of my loved one's life to matter. And I think that's what we are talking about on the cusp here in D.C. today, how can we make it matter.

"I'm a different man now. My wife's a different woman now. My children, I believe, are different children now. And our hope is that we can come out of this, especially for my children, we come out of this valuing our own life, and valuing life more than we did before. And appreciate the things that we do have and the opportunities we have, in our lives and to change things for the better."