I Am the Iconic Line Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.
The action icon is best known as an action movie legend. But, at the height of his cinematic dominance in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several surprisingly great 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 goes undercover as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. For much of the film's runtime, the investigation plot acts as a loose framework for the star to share adorable scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a student named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and states the actor, “Males have a penis, females have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”
The boy behind the line was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. His career encompassed a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the character of the child who returns in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he engages with fans at popular culture events. Not long ago discussed his experiences from the production over three decades on.
A Young Actor's Perspective
Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?
Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the smallest 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 mental photographs.
Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?
My family, especially my mother would accompany me to auditions. Often it was like a cattle call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and that was it. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.
Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?
He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was pleasant, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a productive set. He was great to work with.
“It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”
I understood he was a huge celebrity because my family informed me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I felt the importance — he was a big deal — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was merely entertaining and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was busy, obviously, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was really, really generous. He gifted all the students in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was the hottest tech. It 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 years on that thing on that thing. It eventually broke. I also was given a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.
Do you remember your days on set as being enjoyable?
You know, it's interesting, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, and it was such an amazing experience, 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, being on a professional 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 original Game Boy was new. That was the big craze, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would bring me their Game Boys to pass certain levels on games because I was able to, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.
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 provocative meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was humorous.
“It was a difficult decision for her.”
How it came about, based on what I was told, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Certain bits of dialogue were written into the script, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they developed it during shooting and, reportedly the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took a short while. She really wrestled with it. She said she was hesitant, but she believed it could end up as one of the iconic quotes from the movie and history proved her correct.