I Am the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.

The action icon is universally recognized as an Hollywood heavyweight. But, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this holiday season.

The Story and That Line

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a hardened detective who poses as a elementary educator to catch a killer. During the story, the investigation plot acts as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to have charming moments with his young class. Without a doubt the standout features a child named Joseph, who unprompted rises and states the actor, “It's boys who have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “Thank you for that information.”

The boy behind the line was played by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role included a notable part on Full House playing the antagonist to the famous sisters and the haunting part of the youngster who comes back in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects in development. He also frequently attends fan conventions. He recently recalled his experiences from the production over three decades on.

Behind the Scenes

Interviewer: First, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the youngest 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 mother, mainly would accompany me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and that was it. My parents would help me learn the words 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 incredibly nice. He was fun. He was good-natured, which I guess stands to reason. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a good work environment. He was great to work with.

“It would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a major movie star because that's what my parents told me, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was merely entertaining and I was eager to interact with him when he was available. He was working hard, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would cling to his muscles. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He gifted all the students in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for years on that thing on that thing. It wore out in time. I also received a authentic coach's whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all were gifted copies as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being enjoyable?

You know, it's amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a major production, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the direction of Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was new. That was the big craze, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger 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, that specific dialogue, do you remember the context? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word provocative meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I understood it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given an exception in this case because it was funny.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it was conceived, according to family lore, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. A few scenes were established early on, but once they had the kids together, it was more of a collaboration, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to have this line. 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 had doubts, but she felt it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and her instinct was correct.