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

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an action movie legend. Yet, during the peak of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its three-and-a-half decade milestone this December.

The Story and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who poses as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. For much of the film's runtime, the procedural element acts as a loose framework for the star to film humorous interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous features a child named Joseph, who spontaneously announces and states the stoic star, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thanks for the tip.”

The young actor was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. His career included a character arc on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the character of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects in development. Additionally, he frequently attends fan conventions. Recently recalled his memories from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.

Memories from the Set

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

Miko Hughes: My understanding is I was four. I was the smallest of all the kids on set.

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

Yeah, somewhat. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, do whatever little 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 extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which I guess makes sense. It would be strange if he was a dick 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 have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware he was a major movie star because my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I felt the importance — like, that's cool — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd flex and we'd be dangling there. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was the hottest tech. It was the coolest device, that funky old yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It wore out in time. I also was given a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being positive?

You know, it's funny, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the legendary director, the location shoot, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was brand new. That was the big craze, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.

The Line

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember anything about it? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it came about, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. A few scenes were established early on, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't necessarily improv, 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 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 was hesitant, but she believed it could end up as one of the iconic quotes from the movie and history proved her correct.