I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Candid Conversation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. But, during the peak of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this winter.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a schoolteacher to catch a killer. Throughout the story, the procedural element functions as a basic structure for the star to share adorable interactions with kids. The most unforgettable features a little boy named Joseph, who unprompted rises and informs the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. In addition to this part encompassed a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. Furthermore, he engages with fans at popular culture events. He recently recalled his recollections from the filming of the classic over three decades on.

Memories from the Set

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

Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the smallest of all the kids on set.

Wow, I don't recall being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections.

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

My mother, mainly would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, do whatever little line they wanted and then leave. My parents would feed me the lines and then, once I learned to read, that was some of the first material I was reading.

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

He was very kind. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I suppose makes sense. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. 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 huge celebrity because my family informed me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he wasn't busy. He was busy, obviously, 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 hanging off. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was the hottest tech. It was the coolest device, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also was given a genuine metal whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your experience as being enjoyable?

You know, it's funny, that movie became a phenomenon. It was such a big movie, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner 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 new. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would bring me their Game Boys to pass certain levels on games because I could do it, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word shocking meant, but I understood it was edgy and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given approval in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it came about, based on what I was told, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. 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 developed it during shooting and, presumably someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "Give me a moment, I'll decide tomorrow" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it will probably be one of the iconic quotes from the movie and history proved her correct.