I Am the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.

The action icon is universally recognized as an Hollywood heavyweight. But, in the midst of his star power in the late 20th century, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its three-and-a-half decade milestone this winter.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger embodies a tough police officer who masquerades as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. Throughout the story, the crime storyline serves as a loose framework for Schwarzenegger to share adorable moments with his young class. Arguably the most famous features a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and informs the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thanks for the tip.”

The boy behind the line was portrayed by former young actor Miko Hughes. His career featured a recurring role on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he frequently attends the con circuit. Recently shared his memories from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.

Behind the Scenes

Interviewer: First, 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.

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

Yeah, somewhat. 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 take me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, enter the casting office, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and that was it. My parents would feed me the lines 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 fun. He was pleasant, which I suppose stands to reason. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. He was fun to be around.

“It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a major movie star because my family informed me, but I had barely seen his movies. I felt the importance — like, that's cool — but he didn't frighten me. He was merely entertaining and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was occupied, of course, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd flex and we'd be dangling there. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the must-have gadget, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It wore out in time. I also have a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being fun?

You know, it's interesting, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the direction of Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all little kid memories.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember the context? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it came about, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were established early on, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "I need to consider this, I need time" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.