I Am the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Look Back.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. But, in the midst of his star power in the 1980s and 1990s, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. The standout film is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35th anniversary this winter.
The Role and That Line
In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger plays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. During the story, the crime storyline acts as a loose framework for the star to have charming moments with his young class. Arguably the most famous features a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and informs the actor, “Males have a penis, females have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger replies icily, “Thank you for that information.”
The boy behind the line was brought to life by former young actor Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a notable part on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the youngster who comes back in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with multiple films in development. Furthermore, he is a regular on popular culture events. Not long ago discussed his recollections from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.
Memories from the Set
Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?
Miko Hughes: My understanding is I was four. I was the smallest of all the kids on set.
Wow, I don't recall being four. Do you have any memories from that time?
Yeah, somewhat. They're snapshots. They're like picture memories.
Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?
My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. 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 an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?
He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was nice, which I guess makes sense. It'd be weird if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. 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 big action star because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he didn't frighten me. He was just fun and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was working hard, 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 holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He purchased for each child in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was a major status symbol. That 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 eventually broke. I also received a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.
Do you remember your days on set as being enjoyable?
You know, it's interesting, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, the direction of Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, seeing the set, 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 meat from the top. Then, the original Game Boy was brand new. That was the coolest toy, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would bring me their Game Boys to pass certain levels on games because I could do it, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all childhood recollections.
The Line
OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember the context? Did you understand the words?
At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word shocking meant, but I understood it was edgy 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 humorous.
“She really wrestled with it.”
How it was conceived, based on what I was told, was they were still developing characters. Some character lines were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't necessarily improv, 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 didn't agree right away. She said, "Give me a moment, I'll decide tomorrow" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she believed it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and history proved her correct.