I Am the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Candid Conversation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, in the midst of his star power in the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in several surprisingly great comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this December.

The Role and That Line

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger embodies a undercover cop who masquerades as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. Throughout the movie, the investigation plot acts as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to share adorable moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout involves a student named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and states the former bodybuilder, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. His career included a character arc on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the resurrected boy in the screen translation 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 recalled his memories from the production 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

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

Miko Hughes: My understanding is I was four. I was the smallest of all the kids on set.

Wow, I don't recall being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. They're flashes. They're like picture memories.

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

My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Often it was like a cattle call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, be seen, be in there less than five minutes, read a small part they wanted and then leave. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, when I became literate, that was some of the first material I was reading.

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

He was very kind. He was enjoyable. He was good-natured, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It would have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. He was great to work with.

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

I was aware he was a big action star because my family informed me, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — it was exciting — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was just fun and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was busy, obviously, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd flex and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He gifted all the students in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was like an iPhone. It 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 was given a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being positive?

You know, it's interesting, that movie is such a landmark. It was a huge film, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, 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 didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was brand new. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would bring me their Game Boys to get past hard parts on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember the context? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word shocking meant, but I understood it was edgy and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it came about, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, presumably it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "I need to consider this, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she thought it would likely become one of the iconic quotes from the movie and she was right.