I'm Known As the Iconic Line Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Candid Conversation.

The action icon is universally recognized as an action movie legend. But, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this December.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to locate a fugitive. For much of the film's runtime, the investigation plot serves as a loose framework for Arnold to share adorable moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout involves a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and informs the actor, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a recurring role on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he frequently attends popular culture events. Not long ago recalled his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

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

Wow, I don't recall being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're flashes. They're like visual recollections.

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

My mother, mainly would bring me to auditions. Sometimes it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, be seen, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was incredibly nice. He was fun. He was nice, which I suppose 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 good work environment. He was great to work with.

“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 not actually watched his movies. I sensed the excitement — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was merely entertaining and I was eager to interact with him when he wasn't busy. He was occupied, of course, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be dangling there. He was exceptionally kind. He bought every kid in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was a major status symbol. 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 eventually broke. I also was given a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your experience as being positive?

You know, it's interesting, that movie is such a landmark. It was a huge film, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the original Game Boy was just released. That was the hot thing, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the other children would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I knew how, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

The Line

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember the context? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word taboo meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was funny.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it originated, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. Some character lines were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "I need to consider this, I'll decide tomorrow" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she felt it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.