I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Candid Conversation.

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an iconic tough guy. But, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this holiday season.

The Film and That Line

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who masquerades as a elementary educator to catch a killer. Throughout the story, the crime storyline acts as a basic structure for Arnold to share adorable interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous features a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and informs the former bodybuilder, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was played by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a recurring role on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the character of the child who returns in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects on the horizon. Additionally, he is a regular on popular culture events. Not long ago recalled his recollections from the production 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

Q: To begin, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

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

Wow, I don't recall being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like mental photographs.

Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, 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 a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?

He was very kind. He was enjoyable. He was pleasant, which I guess makes sense. It'd be weird 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 mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I understood he was a big action star because my family informed me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he wasn't busy. He was busy, obviously, 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 gifted all the students in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the hottest tech out there, that funky old yellow cassette player. I used to rock out 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 referee's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?

You know, it's interesting, that movie is such a landmark. 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 working with Arnold, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, 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 meat from 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 older kids would ask for my help to pass certain levels 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 the context? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word provocative meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was comedic.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it was conceived, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they developed it during shooting and, presumably it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she believed it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.