I Was the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an action movie legend. Yet, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in several surprisingly great comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its three-and-a-half decade milestone this holiday season.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who masquerades as a kindergarten teacher to locate a fugitive. For much of the story, the procedural element functions as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to share adorable moments with his young class. The most unforgettable involves a child named Joseph, who spontaneously announces and informs the actor, “Males have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “Thanks for the tip.”

That iconic child was portrayed by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a notable part on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the haunting part of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he is a regular on the con circuit. He recently recalled his recollections from the production over three decades on.

A Young Actor's Perspective

Question: Starting off, 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 can't remember being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.

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

My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there briefly, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was some of the first material I was reading.

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

He was extremely gentle. He was fun. He was nice, which arguably stands to reason. It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I was aware he was a huge celebrity because my family informed me, but I had never really seen 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 was eager to interact with him when he wasn't busy. He was busy, obviously, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was the hottest tech. That was the must-have gadget, that iconic bright 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 genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being positive?

You know, it's interesting, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was just released. That was the coolest toy, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would bring me their Game Boys to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember anything about it? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word provocative meant, but I understood it was edgy and it got a big laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given approval in this case because it was funny.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it was conceived, according to family lore, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Certain bits of dialogue were established early on, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, I suppose 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 didn't agree right away. She said, "I need to consider this, I'll decide tomorrow" and took some time. She really wrestled with it. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and history proved her correct.