I Am the Iconic Line Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Look Back.

The action icon is best known as an Hollywood heavyweight. Yet, at the height of his star power in the 1980s and 1990s, he also delivered several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its three-and-a-half decade milestone this December.

The Story and An Iconic Moment

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger embodies a undercover cop who masquerades as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. During the film's runtime, the procedural element acts as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to share adorable interactions with kids. The most unforgettable belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and states the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”

That iconic child was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with a slate of movies in development. Additionally, he engages with fans at fan conventions. He recently shared his memories from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

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

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

Yeah, a little bit. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.

Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, enter the casting office, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was the initial content I was reading.

Do you have an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was very kind. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which arguably makes sense. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a positive atmosphere. He was fun to be around.

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

I knew he was a huge celebrity because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I felt the importance — he was a big deal — but he wasn't scary to me. He was just fun and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd tense up and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was the hottest tech. This was the hottest tech out there, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a real silver 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 interesting, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For example, 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 big craze, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.

That Famous Quote

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? 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 caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given an exception in this case because it was humorous.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it was conceived, from what I understand, was they didn't have specific roles. A few scenes were established early on, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they developed it during shooting and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a short while. She really wrestled with it. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it would likely become one of the iconic quotes from the movie and she was right.