I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.
The Austrian Oak is best known as an iconic tough guy. Yet, in the midst of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this holiday season.
The Story and That Line
In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger plays a undercover cop who poses as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. Throughout the story, the investigation plot serves as a simple backdrop for the star to share adorable scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout involves a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and informs the actor, “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.” The Terminator deadpans, “Thank you for that information.”
That iconic child was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. In addition to this part encompassed a recurring role on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the child stars and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects on the horizon. Additionally, he engages with fans at popular culture events. Not long ago shared his experiences from the filming of the classic over three decades on.
Memories from the Set
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.
That's remarkable, I can't remember being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?
Yeah, somewhat. They're flashes. They're like mental photographs.
Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?
My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Sometimes it was like a cattle call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there less than five minutes, read a small part they wanted and then leave. My parents would feed me the lines 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 impression of him?
He was incredibly nice. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which arguably isn't too surprising. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a good work environment. He was fun to be around.
“It'd be weird if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom.”
I understood he was a huge celebrity because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I sensed the excitement — it was exciting — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was just fun and I only wanted to hang out with him when he was available. He was occupied, of course, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd flex and we'd be dangling there. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was like an iPhone. That 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 have a real silver whistle. He had the referee's 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 became a phenomenon. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. 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 proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would ask for my help to pass certain levels on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.
The Line
OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember the context? Did you grasp the meaning?
At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given an exception in this case because it was funny.
“It was a difficult decision for her.”
How it originated, according to family lore, was they didn't have specific roles. Some character lines were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it was more of a collaboration, but they refined it on set 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 agree right away. She said, "I need to consider this, I'll decide tomorrow" and took some time. She really wrestled with it. 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.