I Was the Iconic Line Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Look Back.

The Austrian Oak is universally recognized as an Hollywood heavyweight. Yet, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this holiday season.

The Story and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who poses as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. For much of the movie, the crime storyline functions as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to film humorous scenes with children. Arguably the most famous involves a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and informs the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”

The young actor was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a recurring role on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the haunting part of the youngster who comes back in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. Additionally, he frequently attends the con circuit. He recently shared his memories from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

Memories from the Set

Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the most junior of all the kids on set.

Wow, I can't remember being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. 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 a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines and then, when I became literate, that was some of the first material I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was enjoyable. He was pleasant, which I suppose makes sense. It would have been odd 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 was aware he was a big action star because my family informed me, but I had barely seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was merely entertaining and I only wanted to hang out with him when he wasn't busy. He was working hard, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being fun?

You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the legendary director, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was new. That was the coolest toy, and I was quite skilled. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word taboo meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given special permission in this case because it was comedic.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it originated, according to family lore, was they didn't have specific roles. Some character lines were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they developed it during shooting and, reportedly 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 paused. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a day or two. She really wrestled with it. She said she was hesitant, but she felt it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.