I Was the Iconic Line Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.

The action icon is best known as an action movie legend. Yet, in the midst of his star power in the eighties and nineties, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35th anniversary this holiday season.

The Role and That Line

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who masquerades as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the story, the procedural element acts as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to have charming scenes with children. The most unforgettable belongs to a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and states the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thanks for the tip.”

The boy behind the line was portrayed by former young actor Miko Hughes. His career featured a recurring role 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 several projects in development. Furthermore, he frequently attends fan conventions. Recently recalled his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

Q: To begin, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

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

Yeah, to a degree. They're flashes. They're like mental photographs.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My mother, mainly would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all simply wait around, enter the casting office, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and that was it. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was fun. He was good-natured, which arguably isn't too surprising. It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a positive atmosphere. He was fun to be around.

“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 I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — it was exciting — but he wasn't scary to me. He was merely entertaining and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was working hard, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be hanging off. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. It was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It wore out in time. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being positive?

You know, it's interesting, 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, the legendary director, the location shoot, the production design, 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 meat from the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was just released. That was the big craze, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the other children would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

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

At the time, I probably didn't know 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 wasn't supposed to do, but I was given special permission in this case because it was humorous.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it came about, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, reportedly the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. 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 wasn't sure, but she believed it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and she was right.