I'm Known As the Iconic Line Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: An Interview.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an iconic tough guy. However, at the height of his star power in the eighties and nineties, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this winter.
The Film and The Famous Scene
In the classic film, Schwarzenegger plays a hardened detective who masquerades as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. For much of the film's runtime, the procedural element serves as a loose framework for the star to film humorous moments with his young class. Arguably the most famous features a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and states the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “Thank you for that information.”
The young actor was brought to life by former young actor Miko Hughes. His career featured a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the character of the child who returns in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with multiple films in development. Furthermore, he is a regular on the con circuit. He recently discussed his recollections from the production 35 years later.
Memories from the Set
Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?
Miko Hughes: I think 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 have any memories from that time?
Yeah, to a degree. 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 bring me to auditions. Often it was like a cattle call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all patiently queue, enter the casting office, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines and then, once I learned to read, that was some of the first material I was reading.
Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?
He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was pleasant, which I guess makes sense. It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. He was fun to be around.
“It would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”
I was aware he was a huge celebrity because I was told, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — it was exciting — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was just fun and I just wanted to play with him when he was available. He was occupied, of course, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was like an iPhone. This was the hottest tech out there, that funky old 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 genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.
Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?
You know, it's amusing, that movie is such a landmark. It was a major production, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the other children would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.
The Line
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 shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given an exception in this case because it was comedic.
“She really wrestled with it.”
How it originated, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, I suppose someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Let me think about it, let me sleep on it" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she was hesitant, but she felt it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.
