I Am the Iconic Line Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an iconic tough guy. But, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this December.
The Story and The Famous Scene
In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger plays a tough police officer who masquerades as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. During the movie, the investigation plot acts as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to have charming scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout features a child named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and declares the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “I appreciate the insight.”
The young actor was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a notable part on Full House playing the antagonist to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the child who returns in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he engages with fans at fan conventions. He recently discussed his memories from the filming of the classic over three decades on.
Behind the Scenes
Q: To begin, 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.
That's remarkable, I don't recall being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?
Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.
Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?
My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there briefly, read a small part they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was some of the first material I was reading.
Do you have an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?
He was very kind. He was enjoyable. He was pleasant, which I suppose makes sense. It would be strange if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a positive atmosphere. He was a joy to have on set.
“It would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”
I understood he was a huge celebrity because my family informed me, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he wasn't scary to me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was the hottest tech. That was the coolest device, that funky old yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.
Do you remember your days on set as being fun?
You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the direction of Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was just released. That was the big craze, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children 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 Line
OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you understand the words?
At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word taboo meant, but I understood it was edgy and it caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given special permission in this case because it was comedic.
“My mom thought hard about it.”
How it originated, from what I understand, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Certain bits of dialogue were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it was more of a collaboration, but they developed it during shooting and, reportedly 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 paused. She said, "I need to consider this, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. She really wrestled with it. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.