I Was the Iconic Line Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Look Back.

The Austrian Oak is universally recognized as an Hollywood heavyweight. But, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Role and That Line

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger plays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a schoolteacher to catch a killer. For much of the movie, the crime storyline acts as a simple backdrop for Arnold to share adorable moments with his young class. The most unforgettable features a student named Joseph, who spontaneously announces and informs the actor, “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

The young actor was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the character of the child who returns in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he engages with fans at popular culture events. Not long ago shared his recollections from the production 35 years later.

Memories from the Set

Q: To begin, 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 don't recall being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

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

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

My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and that was it. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, as soon as I could read, that was some of the first material I was reading.

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

He was very kind. He was playful. He was pleasant, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. He was great to work with.

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

I was aware he was a major movie star because that's what my parents told me, but I had never really seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — it was exciting — but he didn't frighten me. He was just fun and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd show his strength and we'd be dangling there. He was really, really generous. He gifted all the students in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was a major status symbol. This was the coolest device, 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 finally gave out. I also have a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your experience as being positive?

You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, 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, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the original Game Boy was new. That was the big craze, and I was pretty good at it. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word provocative meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it came about, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they refined it on set and, reportedly someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she was hesitant, but she thought it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and history proved her correct.