I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Candid Conversation.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is universally recognized as an action movie legend. But, at the height of his star power in the late 20th century, he also delivered several genuinely hilarious comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this winter.
The Role and The Famous Scene
In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger embodies a tough police officer who poses as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. During the movie, the investigation plot functions as a loose framework for Arnold to film humorous moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout features a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and informs the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”
The boy behind the line was portrayed by former young actor Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the famous sisters and the character of the resurrected boy in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with multiple films in development. Furthermore, he frequently attends popular culture events. Not long ago discussed his memories from the set of Kindergarten Cop over three decades on.
Memories from the Set
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 impressive, I have no memory from being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?
Yeah, to a degree. They're flashes. They're like picture memories.
Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?
My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, go into the room, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and that was it. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was the initial content I was reading.
Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?
He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was nice, which I suppose stands to reason. It would have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a good work environment. He was fun to be around.
“It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”
I was aware he was a big action star because my family informed me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I felt the importance — it was exciting — 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 sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was the hottest tech. It was the coolest device, that funky old yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It finally gave out. I also was given a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.
Do you remember your days on set as being fun?
You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the original Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.
The Line
OK, the infamous quote, do you remember anything about it? Did you know what you were saying?
At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it made adults laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.
“My mom thought hard about it.”
How it came about, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they refined it on set and, reportedly someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Let me think about it, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a short while. She deliberated carefully. She said she was hesitant, but she believed it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and history proved her correct.
