I Am the Iconic Line Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Look Back.

The Austrian Oak is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, in the midst of his star power in the eighties and nineties, he also delivered several genuinely hilarious comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this December.

The Story and That Line

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who poses as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. For much of the movie, the crime storyline functions as a loose framework for Schwarzenegger to share adorable interactions with kids. Without a doubt the standout involves a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and declares the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “Thanks for the tip.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a recurring role on Full House playing the antagonist to the child stars and the character of the child who returns 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 fan conventions. Recently shared his experiences from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.

Memories from the Set

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

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

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

Yeah, somewhat. They're flashes. They're like mental photographs.

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

My parents, primarily my mom would bring me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all patiently queue, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?

He was very kind. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I guess makes sense. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a productive set. He was a joy to have on set.

“It'd be weird if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware he was a huge celebrity because that's what my parents told me, but I had never really seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was merely entertaining and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic 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 real silver whistle. He had the coach 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 was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. Like, 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 new. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

That Famous Quote

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word provocative meant, but I understood it was edgy and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given special permission in this case because it was comedic.

“My mom thought hard about 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 whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they refined it on set and, reportedly it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it could end up as one of the iconic quotes from the movie and her instinct was correct.