🔗 Share this article I Was the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Candid Conversation. Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this winter. The Story and The Famous Scene In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a tough police officer who masquerades as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the film's runtime, the procedural element serves as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to have charming interactions with kids. The most unforgettable features a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and states the former bodybuilder, “Males have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “Thank you for that information.” That iconic child was portrayed by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a notable part on Full House playing the antagonist to the child stars and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects on the horizon. Additionally, he is a regular on the con circuit. He recently recalled 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 think I was four. I was the youngest of all the kids on set. That's impressive, I have no memory from being four. Do you remember anything from that time? Yeah, to a degree. They're snapshots. They're like picture memories. Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop? My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Sometimes it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was the initial content I was reading. Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him? He was very kind. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was unpleasant 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 have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.” I knew he was a major movie star because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was occupied, of course, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well. Do you remember your days on set as being fun? You know, it's funny, that movie is such a landmark. It was a huge film, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For example, 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 proficient. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections. The Line OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying? At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word shocking meant, but I knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny. “She really wrestled with it.” How it was conceived, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they refined it on set and, presumably 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 paused. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she believed it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this winter. The Story and The Famous Scene In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a tough police officer who masquerades as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the film's runtime, the procedural element serves as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to have charming interactions with kids. The most unforgettable features a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and states the former bodybuilder, “Males have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “Thank you for that information.” That iconic child was portrayed by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a notable part on Full House playing the antagonist to the child stars and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects on the horizon. Additionally, he is a regular on the con circuit. He recently recalled 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 think I was four. I was the youngest of all the kids on set. That's impressive, I have no memory from being four. Do you remember anything from that time? Yeah, to a degree. They're snapshots. They're like picture memories. Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop? My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Sometimes it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, as soon as I could read, that was the initial content I was reading. Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him? He was very kind. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was unpleasant 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 have been odd if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.” I knew he was a major movie star because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was occupied, of course, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was incredibly giving. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well. Do you remember your days on set as being fun? You know, it's funny, that movie is such a landmark. It was a huge film, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For example, 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 proficient. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections. The Line OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying? At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word shocking meant, but I knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I understood it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny. “She really wrestled with it.” How it was conceived, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they refined it on set and, presumably 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 paused. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she believed it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.