I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: An Interview.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is universally recognized as an iconic tough guy. But, during the peak of his star power in the 1980s and 1990s, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its three-and-a-half decade milestone this holiday season.

The Film and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who masquerades as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. During the story, the crime storyline acts as a loose framework for Arnold to share adorable interactions with kids. The most unforgettable involves a child named Joseph, who unprompted announces and states the stoic star, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Arnold deadpans, “Thank you for that information.”

The young actor was portrayed by youth performer Miko Hughes. In addition to this part featured a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the child who returns in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with a slate of movies in development. Additionally, he is a regular on popular culture events. He recently recalled his memories from the filming of the classic over three decades on.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

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

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

Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.

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

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Sometimes it was an open call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all just have to wait, be seen, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which arguably stands to reason. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. He was great to work with.

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

I knew he was a major movie star 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 just fun and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd flex and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was the hottest tech. That was the coolest device, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It wore out in time. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your experience as being fun?

You know, it's interesting, that movie became a phenomenon. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the other children would ask for my help to pass certain levels on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word provocative 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 special permission in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it was conceived, from what I understand, was they didn't have specific roles. Some character lines were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took some time. She really wrestled with it. She said she was hesitant, but she thought it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.