I Am the Iconic Line Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: An Interview.

The action icon is universally recognized as an action movie legend. However, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger embodies a undercover cop who masquerades as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the movie, the crime storyline serves as a loose framework for the star to film humorous scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout involves a child named Joseph, who unprompted announces and informs the former bodybuilder, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

The young actor was portrayed by former young actor Miko Hughes. His career encompassed a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the character of the child who returns in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with a slate of movies in development. Furthermore, he is a regular on fan conventions. He recently shared his experiences from the filming of the classic 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

Question: Starting off, 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 don't recall being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

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

Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all simply wait around, be seen, be in there briefly, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would feed me the lines and then, once I learned to read, that was some of the first material 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 good-natured, which arguably isn't too surprising. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a productive set. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I was aware he was a major movie star because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I felt the importance — it was exciting — but he didn't frighten me. He was just fun and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was occupied, of course, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He purchased for each child in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was the hottest tech. That was the hottest tech out there, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It eventually broke. I also have a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your experience as being fun?

You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, 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 original Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember anything about it? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word provocative meant, but I knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I knew it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given special permission in this case because it was comedic.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it came about, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they developed it during shooting and, I suppose 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, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she thought it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and she was right.