I Was the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Candid Conversation.

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an iconic tough guy. But, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also delivered several critically acclaimed comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this holiday season.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who goes undercover as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. Throughout the movie, the procedural element serves as a basic structure for the star to film humorous scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout features a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and informs the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”

The young actor was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he is a regular on fan conventions. He recently shared his recollections from the production 35 years later.

Memories from the Set

Q: To begin, 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 remarkable, I don't recall being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're snapshots. They're like mental photographs.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, be seen, be in there briefly, do whatever little line they wanted and that's all. 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 an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which arguably isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. He was fun to be around.

“It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a major movie star 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 just fun and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. 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 hanging off. 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 coolest device, that funky old yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a authentic coach's whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being positive?

You know, it's interesting, that movie is such a landmark. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the legendary director, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was new. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would bring me their Game Boys to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all little kid memories.

That Famous Quote

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo meant, but I knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware 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 was conceived, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. Some character lines were established early on, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, presumably someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took some time. She really wrestled with it. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it would likely become one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.