I Am the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Candid Conversation.

The action icon is universally recognized as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, at the height of his star power in the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this December.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a tough police officer who masquerades as a kindergarten teacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the film's runtime, the procedural element functions as a basic structure for Arnold to film humorous interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous belongs to a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and informs the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold deadpans, “Thanks for the tip.”

The young actor was played by youth performer Miko Hughes. His career encompassed a notable part on Full House as the bully to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films on the horizon. Furthermore, he is a regular on the con circuit. Recently discussed his recollections from the filming of the classic 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

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

Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.

Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would bring me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, deliver a quick 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 an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?

He was very kind. He was fun. He was nice, which I suppose makes sense. It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I was aware he was a huge celebrity because my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he wasn't busy. He was working hard, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the coolest device, that distinctive classic 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 received one too as well.

Do you remember your experience as being enjoyable?

You know, it's amusing, that movie is such a landmark. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the direction of Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, 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 toppings only. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was just released. That was the coolest toy, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would hand me their devices to pass certain levels on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember anything about it? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction 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 special permission in this case because it was comedic.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it originated, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were established early on, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they developed it during shooting and, reportedly someone in charge came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a short while. She deliberated carefully. She said she had doubts, but she thought it would likely become one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and history proved her correct.