I'm Known As the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is universally recognized as an action movie legend. However, in the midst of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also starred in several surprisingly great comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its three-and-a-half decade milestone this December.

The Role and An Iconic Moment

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who poses as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. Throughout the story, the investigation plot serves as a loose framework for Schwarzenegger to share adorable interactions with kids. The most unforgettable belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and declares the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”

That iconic child was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a notable part on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins 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 frequently attends the con circuit. Recently recalled his experiences from the production over three decades on.

Memories from the Set

Q: To begin, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

That's remarkable, I have no memory from being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're flashes. They're like picture memories.

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

My parents, primarily my mom would bring 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, enter the casting office, be in there less than five minutes, read a small part they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

Do you have an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?

He was extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was pleasant, which I suppose makes sense. It'd be weird if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. He was great to work with.

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

I was aware he was a major movie star because I was told, but I had never really seen his movies. I felt the importance — like, that's cool — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was occupied, of course, 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 dangling there. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was a major status symbol. It 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 eventually broke. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?

You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was new. That was the big craze, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I could do it, 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 likely didn't understand what the word shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it made adults laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was humorous.

“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 written into the script, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they developed it during shooting and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. She really wrestled with it. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and history proved her correct.