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

The action icon is best known as an action movie legend. However, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Story and An Iconic Moment

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger embodies a tough police officer who masquerades as a elementary educator to catch a killer. For much of the story, the procedural element functions as a basic structure for the star to film humorous moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a child named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and declares the former bodybuilder, “Boys have a penis, females have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

That iconic child was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the child stars and the haunting part of the child who returns in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects in development. Furthermore, he frequently attends popular culture events. He recently recalled his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

Question: Starting off, 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 remarkable, I don't recall being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. They're snapshots. They're like picture memories.

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

My mother, mainly would bring me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, be seen, be in there briefly, read a small part they wanted and that's all. 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 take on him?

He was very kind. He was playful. He was pleasant, which I suppose makes sense. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a positive atmosphere. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I was aware he was a major movie star because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was simply playful and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd tense up and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was like an iPhone. It was the coolest device, that iconic bright 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 authentic coach's 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 was this cultural thing. 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 the star himself, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater 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 big craze, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I was able to, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

The Line

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

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word provocative meant, but I understood it was edgy and it caused the crew to chuckle. I understood it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was funny.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it came about, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably someone in charge came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Let me think about it, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a short while. She deliberated carefully. She said she was hesitant, but she thought it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and she was right.