I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.
The Austrian Oak is universally recognized as an action movie legend. However, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also delivered several critically acclaimed comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its three-and-a-half decade milestone this winter.
The Role and The Famous Scene
In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger plays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a schoolteacher to locate a fugitive. For much of the story, the investigation plot acts as a basic structure for the star to share adorable interactions with kids. Arguably the most famous involves a child named Joseph, who unprompted stands up and states the actor, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “Thank you for that information.”
That iconic child was portrayed by former young actor Miko Hughes. In addition to this part encompassed a character arc on Full House as the bully to the famous sisters and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects listed on his IMDb. Furthermore, he is a regular on the con circuit. Not long ago discussed his experiences from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.
Memories from the Set
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 have no memory from being four. Do you have any memories from that time?
Yeah, somewhat. 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. Often 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 for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, as soon as I could read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.
Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?
He was extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a productive set. He was a joy to have on set.
“It'd be weird if he was unpleasant 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 barely seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was just fun and I just wanted to play with him when he wasn't busy. He was busy, obviously, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd tense up and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He purchased for each child in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was the hottest tech. It was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic 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 was given a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.
Do you remember your time filming as being positive?
You know, it's funny, 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 collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the direction of Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, seeing the 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 original Game Boy was brand new. That was the big craze, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I knew how, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all little kid memories.
That Famous Quote
OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying?
At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word provocative meant, but I knew it was provocative and it made adults laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was funny.
“She really wrestled with it.”
How it came about, from what I understand, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Some character lines were written into the script, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, 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 deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Let me think about it, I need time" and took a short while. She deliberated carefully. She said she had doubts, but she believed it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.