I Am the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Candid Conversation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an iconic tough guy. Yet, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this holiday season.

The Story and That Line

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a tough police officer who goes undercover as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the movie, the procedural element acts as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to film humorous scenes with children. The most unforgettable belongs to a student named Joseph, who unprompted rises and declares the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

That iconic child was portrayed by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the character of the resurrected boy in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Additionally, he engages with fans at fan conventions. Not long ago recalled his recollections from the filming of the classic 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

Miko Hughes: I think I was four. I was the smallest of all the kids on set.

Wow, I can't remember being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, a little bit. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections.

Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Sometimes it was a mass tryout. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, read a small part they wanted and then leave. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, as soon as I could read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was extremely gentle. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I guess isn't too surprising. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. He was great to work with.

“It would be strange if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a big action star because my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I felt the importance — it was exciting — but he didn't frighten me. He was merely entertaining and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was working hard, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd flex and we'd be holding on. He was really, really generous. He gifted all the students in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the hottest tech out there, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It eventually broke. I also received a genuine metal whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being enjoyable?

You know, it's amusing, that movie is such a landmark. It was a huge film, 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, the direction of Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was brand new. That was the big craze, and I was proficient. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would bring me their Game Boys to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word provocative meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it made adults laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it originated, according to family lore, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Certain bits of dialogue were written into the script, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they refined it on set and, I suppose the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Let me think about it, let me sleep on it" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she felt it will probably be one of the iconic quotes from the movie and history proved her correct.