I'm Known As the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: An Interview.

The Austrian Oak is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also delivered several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Story and An Iconic Moment

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who poses as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. For much of the movie, the crime storyline serves as a simple backdrop for Arnold to film humorous moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout features a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and states the stoic star, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “I appreciate the insight.”

That iconic child was brought to life by former young actor Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a character arc on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he frequently attends the con circuit. He recently discussed his recollections from the production 35 years later.

Memories from the Set

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

Miko Hughes: My understanding is 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 snapshots. They're like mental photographs.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, do whatever little line they wanted and that's all. My parents would help me learn the words and then, once I learned to read, that was the initial content I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was good-natured, which arguably makes sense. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a productive set. He was great to work with.

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

I understood he was a big action star because I was told, but I had not actually watched his movies. I felt the importance — he was a big deal — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was merely entertaining and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd show his strength and we'd be holding on. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was like an iPhone. It was the must-have gadget, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your experience as being fun?

You know, it's funny, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a huge film, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a finitely child 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 Nintendo Game Boy was just released. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would bring me their Game Boys to get past hard parts on games because I knew how, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember the context? Did you know what you were saying?

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

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it came about, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. Some character lines were written into the script, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it was more of a collaboration, but they refined it on set and, presumably it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she was hesitant, but she believed it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.