I Am the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.

The action icon is universally recognized as an action movie legend. Yet, at the height of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this holiday season.

The Story and That Line

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger embodies a undercover cop who goes undercover as a elementary educator to catch a killer. During the film's runtime, the procedural element functions as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to film humorous scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout involves a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and states the actor, “Males have a penis, females have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a notable part 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 several projects in development. He also is a regular on fan conventions. Recently recalled his experiences from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

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

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

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

Yeah, a little bit. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there briefly, do whatever little line they wanted and that's all. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, when I became literate, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?

He was extremely gentle. He was fun. He was good-natured, which arguably makes sense. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. He was a joy to have on set.

“It'd be weird 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 sensed the excitement — he was a big deal — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was merely entertaining and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd show his strength and we'd be dangling there. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. This was the must-have gadget, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It wore out in time. I also was given a authentic coach's whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being fun?

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 the star himself, the direction of Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the original Game Boy was just released. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the other children would ask for my help to pass certain levels on games because I knew how, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember anything about it? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word provocative meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

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 wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly someone in charge 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 agree right away. She said, "Give me a moment, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a day or two. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.