I Am the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: An Interview.

The action icon is best known as an iconic tough guy. Yet, in the midst of his cinematic dominance in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this December.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger plays a tough police officer who poses as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. For much of the movie, the crime storyline acts as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to share adorable interactions with kids. The most unforgettable belongs to a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and informs the actor, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

That iconic child was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. His career featured a recurring role on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the haunting part of the child who returns in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with multiple films in development. Furthermore, he is a regular on popular culture events. He recently discussed his recollections from the filming of the classic after all this time.

Memories from the Set

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

Miko Hughes: I think I was four. I was the youngest of all the kids on set.

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

Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections.

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

My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Often it was like a cattle call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all just have to wait, be seen, be in there for a very short time, do whatever little line they wanted and that was it. My parents would feed me the lines and then, once I learned to read, that was the initial content I was reading.

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

He was extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was pleasant, which arguably stands to reason. It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I knew he was a huge celebrity because that's what my parents told me, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd flex and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. This was the coolest device, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It eventually broke. I also was given a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach 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 major production, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I could do it, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

The Line

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 provocative meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was humorous.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it came about, according to family lore, was they didn't have specific roles. Some character lines were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, I suppose it's either the director or producers 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, "I need to consider this, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a short while. She deliberated carefully. She said she had doubts, but she thought it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.