I'm Known As the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Look Back.

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an iconic tough guy. However, in the midst of his cinematic dominance in the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in several surprisingly great comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its three-and-a-half decade milestone this holiday season.

The Film and The Famous Scene

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger embodies a tough police officer who masquerades as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. For much of the film's runtime, the procedural element functions as a basic structure for the star to film humorous interactions with kids. The most unforgettable belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and informs the former bodybuilder, “Boys have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “Thank you for that information.”

The boy behind the line was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the child stars and the character of the child who returns in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects in development. Additionally, he engages with fans at the con circuit. Not long ago shared his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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.

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

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

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

My parents, primarily my mom would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, enter the casting office, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would feed me the lines and then, once I learned to read, 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 incredibly nice. He was enjoyable. He was good-natured, which I guess isn't too surprising. It would have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a positive atmosphere. He was a joy to have on set.

“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 felt the importance — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was merely entertaining and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was busy, obviously, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was the hottest tech. It was the coolest device, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also was given a real silver whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being fun?

You know, it's funny, that movie was this cultural thing. 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 collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was brand new. That was the coolest toy, and I was pretty good at it. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would bring me their Game Boys to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.

That Famous Quote

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember the context? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big 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 humorous.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it originated, 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 pure improvisation, but they refined it on set and, reportedly it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "Let me think about it, let me sleep on it" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she was hesitant, but she felt it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and history proved her correct.