I'm Known As the Iconic Line Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Candid Conversation.

The action icon is universally recognized as an action movie legend. Yet, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its three-and-a-half decade milestone this December.

The Film and The Famous Scene

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who masquerades as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. Throughout the film's runtime, the crime storyline serves as a simple backdrop for Arnold to film humorous interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous belongs to a student named Joseph, who unprompted announces and informs the stoic star, “Males have a penis, girls 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 featured a character arc on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. Additionally, he engages with fans at fan conventions. Recently shared his experiences from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

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

Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the most junior of all the kids on set.

Wow, I have no memory from being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.

Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My mother, mainly would take me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there briefly, do whatever little line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, once I learned to read, that was the initial content I was reading.

Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?

He was very kind. He was playful. He was nice, which arguably makes sense. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. He was a joy to have on set.

“It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a huge celebrity because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I sensed the excitement — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was just fun and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was busy, obviously, but he'd occasionally joke around 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 bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, 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 a long time on that thing. It finally gave out. I also have a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your experience as being positive?

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, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For example, 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 just released. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would bring me their Game Boys to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all little kid memories.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember anything about it? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word shocking meant, but I knew it was provocative and it got a big laugh. I knew it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given an exception in this case because it was comedic.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it came about, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were written into the script, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they developed it during shooting and, I suppose someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. 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 was hesitant, but she thought it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and history proved her correct.