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

The action icon is universally recognized as an iconic tough guy. However, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its three-and-a-half decade milestone this winter.

The Film and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger plays a undercover cop who poses as a elementary educator to track down a criminal. Throughout the movie, the procedural element acts as a loose framework for the star to share adorable scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and declares the former bodybuilder, “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold deadpans, “I appreciate the insight.”

The young actor was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the child stars and the character of the youngster who comes back in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with multiple films on the horizon. Additionally, he engages with fans at fan conventions. He recently recalled his recollections from the filming of the classic 35 years later.

Memories from the Set

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

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

That's remarkable, I can't remember being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections.

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

My mother, mainly would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was like a cattle call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, do whatever little line they wanted and then leave. My parents would feed me the lines and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

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

He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was nice, which I guess makes sense. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. He was fun to be around.

“It would have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a major movie star because my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — like, that's cool — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was occupied, of course, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd flex and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was the hottest tech. It was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It wore out in time. I also received a genuine metal whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle 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 major production, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, visiting Astoria, 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 pepperoni off the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the big craze, and I was pretty good at it. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to get past hard parts on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all little kid memories.

The Line

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember the context? 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 shouldn't normally say, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it originated, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. Certain bits of dialogue were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "I need to consider this, let me sleep on it" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she thought it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.