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

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an iconic tough guy. Yet, in the midst of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35th anniversary this December.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who poses as a schoolteacher to catch a killer. Throughout the film's runtime, the crime storyline acts as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to have charming scenes with children. The most unforgettable features a little boy named Joseph, who unprompted rises and declares the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” The Terminator replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”

The young actor was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. His career included a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he engages with fans at the con circuit. Not long ago discussed his recollections from the production 35 years later.

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 most junior of all the kids on set.

That's impressive, I don't recall 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 landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, be seen, be in there for a very short time, do whatever little line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

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

He was very kind. He was playful. He was nice, which arguably stands to reason. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a productive set. He was fun to be around.

“It would be strange if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware he was a major movie star because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — it was exciting — but he wasn't scary to me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was really, really generous. He gifted all the students in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It eventually broke. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?

You know, it's funny, 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 the star himself, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was just released. That was the coolest toy, and I was pretty good at it. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember the context? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo meant, but I understood it was edgy and it got a big laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given an exception in this case because it was comedic.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it came about, from what I understand, was they didn't have specific roles. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, reportedly it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. 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 had doubts, but she believed it could end up as one of the iconic quotes from the movie and her instinct was correct.