I Was the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: An Interview.

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, at the height of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also delivered several genuinely hilarious comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this winter.

The Role and That Line

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who poses as a kindergarten teacher to locate a fugitive. For much of the film's runtime, the crime storyline acts as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to share adorable scenes with children. Arguably the most famous involves a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and declares the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” The Terminator deadpans, “Thanks for the tip.”

The boy behind the line was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. In addition to this part encompassed a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the child who returns in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. He also is a regular on popular culture events. Recently discussed his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop over three decades on.

Behind the Scenes

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 can't remember being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.

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

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there briefly, do whatever little line they wanted and that's all. My parents would help me learn the words and then, when I became literate, that was some of the first material I was reading.

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

He was very kind. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I suppose 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 great to work with.

“It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware 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 wasn't scary to me. He was merely entertaining and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was occupied, of course, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd flex 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 like an iPhone. It was the hottest tech out there, that distinctive classic 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 wore out in time. I also have a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being fun?

You know, it's funny, that movie is such a landmark. It was such a big movie, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was just released. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the youngest and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.

That Famous Quote

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo 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 an exception in this case because it was comedic.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it was conceived, based on what I was told, was they didn't have specific roles. Some character lines were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they worked on it while filming and, I suppose someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she thought it would likely become one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.