I Was the Iconic Line Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Look Back.
The action icon is universally recognized as an iconic tough guy. However, during the peak of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this December.
The Role and The Famous Scene
In the classic film, Schwarzenegger plays a tough police officer who poses as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. During the movie, the investigation plot serves as a simple backdrop for the star to have charming interactions with kids. The most unforgettable belongs to a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and states the former bodybuilder, “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.” The Terminator deadpans, “Thank you for that information.”
The young actor 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 character of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he engages with fans at the con circuit. He recently recalled his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.
A Young Actor's Perspective
Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?
Miko Hughes: I think 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, somewhat. They're snapshots. They're like mental photographs.
Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?
My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, do whatever little line they wanted and then leave. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, as soon as I could read, that was the initial content I was reading.
Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?
He was very kind. He was playful. He was pleasant, which I suppose stands to reason. It'd be weird if he was unpleasant 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 a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”
I understood he was a major movie star because that's what my parents told me, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was just fun and I only wanted to hang out with him when he wasn't busy. He was busy, obviously, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd flex and we'd be holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He bought every kid 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 played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.
Do you remember your experience as being fun?
You know, it's amusing, that movie is such a landmark. It was a major production, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the direction of Ivan Reitman, 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 Nintendo Game Boy was brand new. That was the hot thing, and I was pretty good at it. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I knew how, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all little kid memories.
The Line
OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying?
At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word taboo meant, but I knew it was provocative and it made adults 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 funny.
“She really wrestled with it.”
How it originated, based on what I was told, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it will probably be one of the iconic quotes from the movie and her instinct was correct.
