I Was the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.

The action icon is best known as an iconic tough guy. However, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also delivered several critically acclaimed comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this December.

The Story and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger embodies a undercover cop who masquerades as a elementary educator to catch a killer. For much of the story, the crime storyline functions as a simple backdrop for Arnold to film humorous scenes with children. Arguably the most famous belongs to a child named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and declares the actor, “Males have a penis, females have a vagina.” The Terminator deadpans, “Thank you for that information.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by former young actor Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a recurring role on Full House playing the antagonist to the child stars 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. Additionally, he engages with fans at popular culture events. He recently discussed his memories from the production after all this time.

Behind the Scenes

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

Miko Hughes: I think I was four. I was the smallest of all the kids on set.

That's impressive, I can't remember 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 landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My mother, mainly would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be 20, 30 kids 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 probably the first stuff I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was fun. He was pleasant, which I guess isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create 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 understood he was a huge celebrity because my family informed me, but I had barely seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd flex and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He gifted all the students in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was like an iPhone. It was the must-have gadget, that funky old yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time 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 experience as being fun?

You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was such a big movie, 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, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. 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 older kids would ask for my help to pass certain levels on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember the context? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word shocking meant, but I understood it was edgy and it caused the crew to chuckle. I knew it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it was conceived, based on what I was told, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "I need to consider this, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a day or two. She really wrestled with it. She said she had doubts, but she thought it would likely become one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.