I'm Known As the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Look Back.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is rightfully celebrated as an iconic tough guy. But, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this winter.
The Story and The Famous Scene
In the classic film, Schwarzenegger embodies a hardened detective who masquerades as a kindergarten teacher to locate a fugitive. Throughout the movie, the procedural element serves as a simple backdrop for the star to share adorable scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout involves a little boy named Joseph, who unprompted announces and states the actor, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”
That iconic child was played by youth performer Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the resurrected boy in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. He also engages with fans at the con circuit. Recently discussed his memories from the filming of the classic 35 years later.
A Young Actor's Perspective
Interviewer: First, 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 impressive, I can't remember being four. Do you remember anything from that time?
Yeah, a little bit. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.
Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?
My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and then leave. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, when I became literate, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.
Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?
He was extremely gentle. He was playful. He was good-natured, which arguably stands to reason. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a productive set. He was fun to be around.
“It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom.”
I knew he was a huge celebrity because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I felt the importance — like, that's cool — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was busy, obviously, but he'd kind of play with us 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 personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. It 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 ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also was given a authentic coach's 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 interesting, that movie is such a landmark. It was a major production, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the direction of Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater 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 brand new. That was the hot thing, and I was pretty good at it. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.
The Line
OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember the context? Did you understand the words?
At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it made adults 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 came about, according to family lore, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. A few scenes were written into the script, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "I need to consider this, let me sleep on it" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.
