I Am the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.
The action icon is universally recognized as an iconic tough guy. But, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also delivered several surprisingly great comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this December.
The Story and The Famous Scene
In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who masquerades as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. Throughout the movie, the procedural element serves as a simple backdrop for the star to film humorous interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous features a student named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and declares the actor, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” The Terminator replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”
The young actor was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. His career encompassed a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the child stars and the pivotal role of the resurrected boy in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films on the horizon. Furthermore, he engages with fans at fan conventions. Recently shared his memories from the filming of the classic after all this time.
A Young Actor's Perspective
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.
Wow, I can't remember being four. Do you remember anything from that time?
Yeah, somewhat. They're snapshots. They're like visual recollections.
Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?
My mother, mainly would accompany me to auditions. Sometimes it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there less than five minutes, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. 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 extremely gentle. He was fun. He was pleasant, which I guess makes sense. It'd be weird if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. 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 huge celebrity because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I sensed the excitement — like, that's cool — but he didn't really intimidate 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 occasionally joke around 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 gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. This was the coolest device, that funky old yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for a long time on that thing. It eventually broke. I also received a authentic coach's whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.
Do you remember your experience as being positive?
You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, as an adult, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the direction of Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was just released. That was the coolest toy, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would bring me their Game Boys to pass certain levels on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.
The Infamous Moment
OK, the infamous quote, do you remember anything about it? Did you understand the words?
At the time, I probably didn't know what the word shocking meant, but I knew it was provocative and it caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.
“It was a difficult decision for her.”
How it was conceived, according to family lore, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Some character lines were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she thought it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.