Kurt Russell doubles down and defends his conservative statement.

Kurt Russell, a big name in Hollywood, will not back down. The veteran actor was criticized for his conservative statement, so he pointed to the Founding Fathers to defend his views.

Kurt Russell thinks that stars shouldn’t get involved in politics. During an interview with The New York Times, he clearly made that point. The actor from Overboard, who calls himself a “hardcore libertarian,” said that his political views are very different from those of most Hollywood stars and entertainers.

But when a reporter asked Russell about gun control, he said in no uncertain terms, “If you think gun control will change the way terrorists think, I think you’re, like, out of your mind.” The media had a lot to say about that statement. Russell later said he felt “ambushed” during that interview and “grudgingly made comments” about gun control.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, the star of Tango & Cash not only repeated what he had said before about gun control but also talked about how he became a libertarian. “When I was young, I couldn’t quite see what was going on and buy into a political culture,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I finally said, ‘Why don’t I go back and see what the Founding Fathers were all about and see how that matched up?’ I did find them, and I also found libertarianism. They were pretty radical and very smart, and I just like old-fashioned things and think they had good ideas.

Russell said in another interview that this had also changed how he felt about the right to bear arms in the Constitution. He said, “I think the Founding Fathers had a perfect reason for the Second Amendment, which is that no government has ever had to fight its people.” “I think that’s a big part of why we’re here.”

Russell rarely talks about his libertarianism in general in public. He always says no when asked to be on political talk shows because he believes celebrities have no right to tell Americans what to think. “I don’t want to go on those shows and have someone think, “The last thing I want to do is watch Kurt Russell talk about stuff I don’t think he knows anything about.”

Russell also decided to set the record straight about what he thinks. “I believe in limited government based on the Constitution, a free market, and going for the gold,” he said. “There’s a place where you can do that without stepping on anyone’s toes and still try to get to the top.”

His political views are in the “extreme minority” in Hollywood. The actor from “Escape from New York” said some harsh things. “Over the years, I’ve heard some pretty bad things that I didn’t deserve,” he said. “But my case was worse because I couldn’t say, “I’m sorry, I’m a Republican.” I wasn’t a Republican; even worse: I was a hardcore libertarian.”

“I was raised a Republican, but when I learned there wasn’t much difference between a Democrat and Republican, I became a libertarian,” Russell remarked. The Backdraft star also thinks Hollywood politics are bogus. “I’m not a Bill Maher libertarian,” Russell said. Faux-libertarianism. It’s unknown. He’s polite, but that’s not libertarianism. I’ve also observed that many Hollywood liberals and Republicans are faux-liberals and faux-conservatives.

The Tombstone actor said his opinions made him unwanted in Hollywood. “As the years went by, yes, I definitely at times was—at least in terms of ‘the hang’—politically persona non grata,” he remarked. I enjoyed discussing ideas with others. I’m fair, lively, and knowledgeable if you engage me. I don’t go anywhere without learning something, and I don’t have an agenda.

Kurt Russell has been with Goldie Hawn since 1983. Russell is among the few young actors who became a great Hollywood celebrity.