🔗 Share this article I Was the Iconic Line Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Candid Conversation. Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an iconic tough guy. Yet, during the peak of his star power in the eighties and nineties, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this winter. The Role and That Line In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who poses as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. For much of the story, the procedural element serves as a loose framework for Schwarzenegger to share adorable interactions with kids. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who unprompted rises and declares the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.” The young actor was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. His career encompassed a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the famous sisters and the haunting part of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects in development. He also engages with fans at fan conventions. Recently discussed his recollections from the filming of the classic after all this time. 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 youngest of all the kids on set. That's impressive, I have no memory from being four. Do you remember anything from that time? Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections. Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop? My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was some of the first material I was reading. Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him? He was extremely gentle. He was fun. He was pleasant, which I guess isn't too surprising. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a productive set. He was a joy to have on set. “It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.” I knew he was a big action star because I was told, but I had never really seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — it was exciting — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was simply playful and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd flex and we'd be dangling there. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright 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 received a real silver whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well. Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable? You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to get past hard parts on games because I was able to, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections. That Famous Quote OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you understand the words? At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big 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 comedic. “It was a difficult decision for her.” How it originated, 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 necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, presumably 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 didn't agree right away. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and history proved her correct.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an iconic tough guy. Yet, during the peak of his star power in the eighties and nineties, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this winter. The Role and That Line In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who poses as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. For much of the story, the procedural element serves as a loose framework for Schwarzenegger to share adorable interactions with kids. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who unprompted rises and declares the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.” The young actor was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. His career encompassed a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the famous sisters and the haunting part of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects in development. He also engages with fans at fan conventions. Recently discussed his recollections from the filming of the classic after all this time. 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 youngest of all the kids on set. That's impressive, I have no memory from being four. Do you remember anything from that time? Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections. Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop? My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was some of the first material I was reading. Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him? He was extremely gentle. He was fun. He was pleasant, which I guess isn't too surprising. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a productive set. He was a joy to have on set. “It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.” I knew he was a big action star because I was told, but I had never really seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — it was exciting — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was simply playful and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd flex and we'd be dangling there. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright 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 received a real silver whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well. Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable? You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to get past hard parts on games because I was able to, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections. That Famous Quote OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you understand the words? At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big 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 comedic. “It was a difficult decision for her.” How it originated, 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 necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, presumably 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 didn't agree right away. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and history proved her correct.