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

The Austrian Oak is best known as an iconic tough guy. But, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its three-and-a-half decade milestone this holiday season.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who masquerades as a kindergarten teacher to track down a criminal. For much of the movie, the procedural element functions as a basic structure for the star to share adorable interactions with kids. The most unforgettable features a little boy named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and informs the actor, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” The Terminator deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a character arc on Full House as the bully to the child stars and the character of the youngster who comes back in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films on the horizon. Additionally, he is a regular on popular culture events. Not long ago discussed his experiences from the filming of the classic after all this time.

A Young Actor's Perspective

Interviewer: First, 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 have no memory from being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. 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. Sometimes it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all simply wait around, enter the casting office, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was enjoyable. He was pleasant, which I suppose makes sense. It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a good work environment. He was great to work with.

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

I was aware he was a major movie star because my family informed me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I felt the importance — like, that's cool — but he didn't frighten me. He was just fun 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 holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He bought every kid in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the must-have gadget, that iconic bright 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 teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your experience as being enjoyable?

You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a major production, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was just released. That was the big craze, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would bring me their Game Boys 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 how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word provocative meant, but I knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it originated, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they developed it during shooting and, presumably someone in charge came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. She deliberated carefully. She said she was hesitant, but she believed it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.