I Was the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Candid Conversation.

The Austrian Oak is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. Yet, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also delivered several critically acclaimed comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this winter.

The Story and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who poses as a kindergarten teacher to locate a fugitive. For much of the story, the crime storyline acts as a loose framework for Arnold to have charming interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous features a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and declares the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” The Terminator deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the resurrected boy in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with several projects on the horizon. Furthermore, he is a regular on fan conventions. Recently recalled his experiences from the filming of the classic 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 most junior of all the kids on set.

That's remarkable, I can't remember being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

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

Do you recall how you were cast 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, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?

He was very kind. He was fun. He was good-natured, which arguably stands to reason. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a productive set. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I understood he was a huge celebrity because I was told, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was merely entertaining and I just wanted to play with him when he wasn't busy. He was occupied, of course, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd flex and we'd be dangling there. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. This was the hottest tech out there, that funky old yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It eventually broke. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being fun?

You know, it's interesting, that movie is such a landmark. It was a huge film, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was brand new. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

That Famous Quote

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember anything about it? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word taboo meant, but I knew it was provocative and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given special permission in this case because it was humorous.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it came about, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were written into the script, but once they had the kids together, it was more of a collaboration, but they developed it during shooting and, I suppose someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to say this. 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. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she thought it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and history proved her correct.