I'm Known As the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.
The action icon is best known as an action movie legend. However, during the peak of his star power in the late 20th century, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this December.
The Role and That Line
In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who poses as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the movie, the crime storyline acts 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 spontaneously announces and informs the actor, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”
The boy behind the line was played by child star Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the child stars and the haunting part of the child who returns in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. Additionally, he is a regular on the con circuit. He recently recalled his experiences from the production 35 years later.
Behind the Scenes
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 don't recall being four. Do you have any memories from that time?
Yeah, to a degree. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.
Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?
My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, enter the casting office, be in there less than five minutes, deliver a quick line 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 impression of him?
He was incredibly nice. He was fun. He was pleasant, which I guess isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. 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 understood he was a big action star because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was busy, obviously, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd flex and we'd be dangling there. He was incredibly giving. He gifted all the students in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was like an iPhone. It was the coolest device, that distinctive classic 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 real silver whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.
Do you remember your days on set as being positive?
You know, it's interesting, that movie is such a landmark. 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 collaborating with Schwarzenegger, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was new. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would bring me their Game Boys to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.
The Infamous Moment
OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember anything about it? Did you grasp the meaning?
At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word provocative meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.
“My mom thought hard about it.”
How it originated, according to family lore, was they didn't have specific roles. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they developed it during shooting and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. 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 had doubts, but she thought it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and she was right.