I Was the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: An Interview.

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an action movie legend. However, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this December.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who masquerades as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. For much of the film's runtime, the investigation plot functions as a loose framework for the star to have charming scenes with children. Arguably the most famous features a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and informs the stoic star, “Males have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. His career featured a character arc on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the character of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects listed on his IMDb. He also frequently attends fan conventions. Recently discussed his memories from the production 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

Miko Hughes: I think I was four. I was the most junior of all the kids on set.

That's remarkable, I have no memory from being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. They're brief images. They're like mental photographs.

Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Sometimes it was a mass tryout. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, enter the casting office, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was extremely gentle. He was fun. He was good-natured, which arguably stands to reason. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a productive set. He was a joy to have on set.

“It would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware he was a huge celebrity because I was told, but I had not actually watched his movies. I sensed the excitement — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was simply playful and I only wanted to hang out with him when he wasn't busy. He was working hard, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He gifted all the students in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was a major status symbol. It was the must-have gadget, that funky old yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It wore out in time. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being fun?

You know, it's amusing, that movie is such a landmark. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was just released. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would bring me their Game Boys to pass certain levels on games because I could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.

That Famous Quote

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember how it happened? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word provocative meant, but I knew it was provocative and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given approval in this case because it was humorous.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it was conceived, according to family lore, was they didn't have specific roles. Certain bits of dialogue were written into the script, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a short while. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it will probably be one of the iconic quotes from the movie and her instinct was correct.