I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: An Interview.
The Austrian Oak is rightfully celebrated as an iconic tough guy. However, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also delivered several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this December.
The Film and An Iconic Moment
In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a tough police officer who poses as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. For much of the story, the investigation plot serves as a basic structure for Arnold to share adorable moments with his young class. The most unforgettable features a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and declares the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” The Terminator responds dryly, “Thanks for the tip.”
That iconic child was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a notable part on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. He also frequently attends the con circuit. Not long ago discussed his recollections from the production over three decades on.
Memories from the Set
Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?
Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the youngest of all the kids on set.
That's remarkable, I have no memory from being four. Do you have any memories from that time?
Yeah, a little bit. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.
Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?
My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, enter the casting office, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would feed me the lines and then, when I became literate, that was some of the first material I was reading.
Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?
He was incredibly nice. He was enjoyable. He was good-natured, which I suppose makes sense. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a positive atmosphere. He was great to work with.
“It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”
I understood he was a big action star 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 simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he wasn't busy. He was working hard, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the coolest device, that funky old 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 have 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 amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the direction of Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the Nintendo 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 hand me their devices to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.
The Line
OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember anything about it? Did you know what you were saying?
At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given special permission in this case because it was humorous.
“It was a difficult decision for her.”
How it came about, from what I understand, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Certain bits of dialogue were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, I suppose the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. 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 a short while. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she believed it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.