I Was the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Candid Conversation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is universally recognized as an action movie legend. However, during the peak of his star power in the late 20th century, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this winter.

The Story and The Famous Scene

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger plays a tough police officer who goes undercover as a schoolteacher to catch a killer. Throughout the story, the investigation plot functions as a basic structure for Arnold to have charming interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous belongs to a student named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and informs the actor, “It's boys who have a penis, girls have a vagina.” The Terminator replies icily, “Thanks for the tip.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the haunting part of the youngster who comes back in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects on the horizon. Furthermore, he is a regular on fan conventions. He recently recalled his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop over three decades on.

A Young Actor's Perspective

Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

That's impressive, I can't remember 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 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, once I learned to read, 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 playful. He was nice, which I guess makes sense. It'd be weird if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a productive set. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I knew he was a major movie star because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was just fun and I just wanted to play 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 show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It eventually broke. I also have a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?

You know, it's amusing, that movie is such a landmark. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. Like, 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 proficient. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to pass certain levels on games because I could do it, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all little kid memories.

That Famous Quote

OK, the penis and vagina line, 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 knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I knew it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it originated, from what I understand, was they didn't have specific roles. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably 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 agree right away. She said, "Let me think about it, let me sleep on it" and took some time. She really wrestled with it. She said she had doubts, but she thought it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.