I Am the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: An Interview.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an iconic tough guy. However, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this December.

The Role and An Iconic Moment

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a schoolteacher to catch a killer. During the film's runtime, the investigation plot functions as a basic structure for the star to share adorable interactions with kids. The most unforgettable belongs to a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and states the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thanks for the tip.”

That iconic child was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the character of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with a slate of movies in development. Furthermore, he engages with fans at fan conventions. Not long ago discussed his experiences from the production after all this time.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the most junior of all the kids on set.

Wow, I have no memory from being four. Do you have any memories 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 bring me to auditions. Sometimes it was a mass tryout. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, read a small part they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines 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 impression of him?

He was extremely gentle. He was playful. He was pleasant, which arguably stands to reason. It would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a good work environment. He was fun to be around.

“It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a big action star because my family informed me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he was available. He was occupied, of course, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd show his strength 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 a major status symbol. It was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I played 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 coach whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?

You know, it's funny, that movie became a phenomenon. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater 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 coolest toy, and I was quite skilled. I was the youngest and some of the other children would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

The Infamous Moment

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

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word provocative meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given approval in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it originated, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. Certain bits of dialogue were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they worked on it while filming 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 didn't agree right away. She said, "Let me think about it, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a short while. She really wrestled with it. She said she was hesitant, but she thought it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.