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

Arnold Schwarzenegger is universally recognized as an Hollywood heavyweight. Yet, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also starred in several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this winter.

The Story and An Iconic Moment

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who poses as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. During the movie, the procedural element serves as a loose framework for Schwarzenegger to film humorous interactions with kids. The most unforgettable features a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and informs the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thanks for the tip.”

The young actor was played by youth performer Miko Hughes. His career included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the child who returns in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he is a regular on fan conventions. He recently discussed his memories from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

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

Wow, I have no memory from being four. Do you have any memories from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're flashes. They're like mental photographs.

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

My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, enter the casting office, be in there less than five minutes, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, once I learned to read, that was the initial content I was reading.

Do you have an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?

He was very kind. He was playful. He was pleasant, which arguably makes sense. It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a productive set. 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 I was told, but I had never really seen his movies. I felt the importance — it was exciting — 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 occupied, of course, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be dangling there. He was really, really generous. He bought every kid in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was the hottest tech. That was the must-have gadget, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It wore out in time. I also have a authentic coach's whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being enjoyable?

You know, it's interesting, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, as an adult, 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 toppings only. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. 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 could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.

That Famous Quote

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word provocative meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it caused the crew to chuckle. I understood it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it was conceived, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a short while. She really wrestled with it. She said she had doubts, but she felt it will probably be one of the iconic quotes from the movie and her instinct was correct.