I Am the Iconic Line Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Candid Conversation.

The action icon is universally recognized as an iconic tough guy. Yet, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. Throughout the film's runtime, the investigation plot acts as a loose framework for Arnold to have charming scenes with children. Arguably the most famous belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously announces and declares the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “Thanks for the tip.”

The young actor was portrayed by former young actor Miko Hughes. His career included a recurring role on Full House playing the antagonist to the famous sisters 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 a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he is a regular on popular culture events. He recently discussed his memories from the filming of the classic after all this time.

Behind the Scenes

Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

Miko Hughes: My understanding is I was four. I was the smallest of all the kids on set.

Wow, I can't remember being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. They're flashes. They're like visual recollections.

Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, be seen, be in there briefly, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a positive atmosphere. He was great to work with.

“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 my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he was available. He was working hard, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd tense up and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the coolest device, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It wore out in time. I also received a real silver whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being positive?

You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a huge film, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the original Game Boy was brand new. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the youngest 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 youthful anecdotes.

The Infamous Moment

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

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word provocative meant, but I knew it was provocative and it got a big laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it was conceived, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. Some character lines were established early on, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they refined it on set and, I suppose someone in charge came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Let me think about it, I'll decide tomorrow" 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 unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.