In the wake of the sickening school shooting in Uvalde, Texas last week, many Hollywood celebrities voiced their rage and disgust on social media. (One has to give credit to Chris Evans whose all-caps declaration of “FUCKING ENOUGH!!!” summed things up nicely.)

But when Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey penned a message urging people to “re-evalute, and renegotiate our wants from our needs” regarding gun rights, it was notable for a few reasons. One is that while his political affiliation isn’t known, he is not what one might call a typical Hollywood liberal (he self-identifies as “aggressively centric”). Another is that he seriously considered running for the Texas governor’s seat last year. Most germane to the current tragedy, however, is the fact McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas, and lived there until he was approximately 11-years-old. (Indeed, his mother was a kindergarten teacher in Uvalde, at school just four minutes down the road from Robb Elementary.)

People.com confirmed that McConaughey spoke with Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas’s 23rd district at the Uvalde Civic Center on Friday, after meeting with families of the victims. The lawmaker shared some photos from the gathering on Twitter. “We’ll unite to be an even more powerful reminder that love never fails & together we can change things,” he wrote, adding “[a]ppreciate Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey helping us heal.”

Gonzales also shared that he was welcoming President Joe Biden to the area, with the across-the-aisle hashtag #UnitedForUvalde. In the past, Gonzales has voted in support of second amendment issues.