I Am the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Look Back.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an action movie legend. Yet, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also delivered several surprisingly great comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this December.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a tough police officer who poses as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. Throughout the film's runtime, the investigation plot serves as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to have charming scenes with children. The most unforgettable belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and declares the former bodybuilder, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was played by youth performer Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the child who returns in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with several projects in development. Furthermore, he frequently attends popular culture events. Recently discussed his memories from the filming of the classic 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

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

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

Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections.

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

My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could 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 extremely gentle. He was fun. He was nice, which I guess makes sense. It would have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a productive set. He was great to work with.

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

I understood he was a huge celebrity because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — like, that's cool — but he didn't really intimidate 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 cling to his muscles. He'd flex and we'd be holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic 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 have a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being positive?

You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the direction of Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was just released. 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 beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

That Famous Quote

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember how it happened? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it originated, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were established early on, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably 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 didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a day or two. She deliberated carefully. She said she had doubts, but she felt it would likely become one of the iconic quotes from the movie and history proved her correct.