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

The Austrian Oak is best known as an Hollywood heavyweight. But, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this winter.

The Story and The Famous Scene

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger embodies a tough police officer who masquerades as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. For much of the film's runtime, the investigation plot functions as a basic structure for the star to film humorous interactions with kids. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and declares the actor, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” The Terminator responds dryly, “Thanks for the tip.”

That iconic child was brought to life by former young actor Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a character arc on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the resurrected boy in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with several projects listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he engages with fans at popular culture events. Recently recalled his recollections from the production 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

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

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

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

My family, especially my mother would accompany me to auditions. Sometimes it was like a cattle 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 for a very short time, do whatever little line they wanted and that was it. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, once I learned to read, that was some of the first material I was reading.

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

He was extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was good-natured, which I guess makes sense. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a productive set. He was great to work with.

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

I was aware he was a major movie star because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was merely entertaining and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. It was the hottest tech out there, that funky old yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a genuine metal whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?

You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. 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 the star himself, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. Like, 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 brand new. That was the coolest toy, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember the context? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word taboo meant, but I knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it was conceived, based on what I was told, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Certain bits of dialogue were established early on, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they developed it during shooting and, presumably 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 didn't answer immediately. 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 believed it would likely become one of the iconic quotes from the movie and history proved her correct.