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

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. Yet, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also delivered several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this holiday season.

The Role and That Line

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who masquerades as a elementary educator to catch a killer. Throughout the movie, the investigation plot functions as a simple backdrop for Arnold to share adorable scenes with children. Arguably the most famous belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and informs the actor, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “Thanks for the tip.”

The boy behind the line was played by child star Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a notable part on Full House as the bully to the child stars and the character of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. Additionally, he engages with fans at popular culture events. He recently discussed his experiences from the production after all this time.

Memories from the Set

Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

That's remarkable, I can't remember being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like mental photographs.

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

My mother, mainly would take me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there briefly, do whatever little line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was some of the first material I was reading.

Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?

He was extremely gentle. He was playful. He was pleasant, which I guess makes sense. It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. He was a joy to have on set.

“It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a major movie star because my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I felt the importance — like, that's cool — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was just fun and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was the hottest tech. That was the coolest device, that funky old yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also have a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your experience as being enjoyable?

You know, it's funny, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the original Game Boy was brand new. That was the coolest toy, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would bring me their Game Boys to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember the context? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word taboo meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given approval in this case because it was humorous.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it originated, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. Some character lines were written into the script, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took a day or two. She deliberated carefully. She said she had doubts, but she felt it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.