I'm Known As the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is universally recognized as an action movie legend. However, in the midst of his star power in the late 20th century, he also delivered several genuinely hilarious comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this winter.

The Story and That Line

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a tough police officer who goes undercover as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. Throughout the movie, the crime storyline acts as a simple backdrop for the star to have charming moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout features a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and states the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “Thanks for the tip.”

The boy behind the line was played by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a recurring role on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he engages with fans at fan conventions. Not long ago recalled his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop 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 youngest of all the kids on set.

That's remarkable, I have no memory from being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My mother, mainly would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there less than five minutes, read a small part they wanted and that's all. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, once I learned to read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?

He was extremely gentle. He was fun. He was pleasant, which I suppose stands to reason. It would be strange if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. He was great to work with.

“It'd be weird if he was mean 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 felt the importance — he was a big deal — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was merely entertaining and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was occupied, of course, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He bought every kid in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the coolest device, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It eventually broke. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being positive?

You know, it's amusing, that movie is such a landmark. It was a huge film, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was brand new. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would hand me their devices to pass certain levels on games because I could do it, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember the context? Did you understand the words?

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

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it came about, from what I understand, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Some character lines were established early on, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, I suppose someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "I need to consider this, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a day or two. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and history proved her correct.