I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.

The action icon is best known as an action movie legend. But, during the peak of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also starred in several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Story and An Iconic Moment

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who poses as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. For much of the film's runtime, the crime storyline acts as a basic structure for Arnold to have charming interactions with kids. Without a doubt the standout features a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and informs the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

That iconic child was portrayed by youth performer Miko Hughes. His career included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the character of the youngster who comes back in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. Furthermore, he engages with fans at the con circuit. Not long ago recalled his experiences from the production 35 years later.

Behind the Scenes

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

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

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

Yeah, a little bit. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. 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, read a small part they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words 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 take on him?

He was extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which I guess stands to reason. 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 a joy to have on set.

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

I was aware he was a big action star because I was told, but I had barely seen 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 had time. He was occupied, of course, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was the hottest tech. This 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 wore out in time. I also received a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies 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 such an amazing experience, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was brand new. That was the big craze, and I was proficient. 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 really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.

That Famous Quote

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

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word shocking meant, but I knew it was provocative and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was comedic.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it originated, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. A few scenes were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to say this. 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 was hesitant, but she thought it would likely become one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.