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

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an iconic tough guy. But, in the midst of his cinematic dominance in the 1980s and 1990s, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this December.

The Story and An Iconic Moment

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who masquerades as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. For much of the movie, the procedural element acts as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to film humorous scenes with children. The most unforgettable involves a child named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and informs the actor, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” The Terminator responds dryly, “Thank you for that information.”

The young actor was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the character of the resurrected boy in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with a slate of movies in development. Additionally, he is a regular on fan conventions. Not long ago shared his memories from the production 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

That's impressive, I have no memory from being four. Do you remember anything 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 mother, mainly would accompany me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, be seen, be in there briefly, do whatever little line they wanted and that was it. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was some of the first material I was reading.

Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?

He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was nice, which I suppose makes sense. It would have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. 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 huge celebrity because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I felt the importance — 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 was available. He was occupied, of course, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He bought every kid in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was a major status symbol. This was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It eventually broke. I also was given a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your experience as being positive?

You know, it's funny, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater 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 original Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

The Infamous Moment

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 shocking meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given special permission in this case because it was humorous.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it was conceived, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. Certain bits of dialogue were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, reportedly it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she wasn't sure, but she thought it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.