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

The Austrian Oak is best known as an action movie legend. But, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its three-and-a-half decade milestone this winter.

The Film and That Line

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger plays a tough police officer who masquerades as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. For much of the movie, the investigation plot serves as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to have charming moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout features a little boy named Joseph, who unprompted stands up and declares the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

That iconic child was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a recurring role on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the child stars and the pivotal role of the resurrected boy in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he engages with fans at popular culture events. Not long ago discussed his recollections from the filming of the classic after all this time.

Behind the Scenes

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

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

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all simply wait around, enter the casting office, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would feed me the lines 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 extremely gentle. He was fun. He was pleasant, which I guess stands to reason. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a positive atmosphere. He was fun to be around.

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

I understood he was a big action star because I was told, but I had not actually watched his movies. I felt the importance — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was just fun and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. 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 tense up and we'd be holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He purchased for each child in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the must-have gadget, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also have a authentic coach's whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your experience as being positive?

You know, it's funny, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was just released. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would hand me their devices to pass certain levels on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

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

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it caused the crew to chuckle. I knew it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given approval in this case because it was humorous.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it came about, from what I understand, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Some character lines were written into the script, but once they had the kids together, it was more of a collaboration, but they developed it during shooting and, presumably someone in charge came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and history proved her correct.