I'm Known As the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: An Interview.

The Austrian Oak is universally recognized as an iconic tough guy. Yet, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in several genuinely hilarious comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this December.

The Story and The Famous Scene

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger embodies a undercover cop who goes undercover as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. For much of the movie, the investigation plot acts as a basic structure for Schwarzenegger to share adorable scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout features a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and declares the stoic star, “It's boys who have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

The young actor was played by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a recurring role on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the character of the child who returns in the film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with several projects listed on his IMDb. He also is a regular on the con circuit. Recently shared his memories from the filming of the classic over three decades on.

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 most junior of all the kids on set.

That's remarkable, I have no memory from being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

Yeah, to a degree. They're snapshots. They're like picture memories.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My mother, mainly would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be 20, 30 kids and we'd all just have to wait, go into the room, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would feed me the lines and then, as soon as I could read, that was some of the first material I was reading.

Do you have an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was extremely gentle. He was fun. He was nice, which arguably isn't too surprising. It would have been odd if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a positive atmosphere. He was fun to be around.

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

I understood he was a big action star because that's what my parents told me, but I had barely seen his movies. I felt the importance — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd show his strength and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the hottest tech out there, 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 finally gave out. I also was given a genuine metal whistle. He had the teacher'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 amusing, that movie became a phenomenon. It was a huge film, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, as an adult, 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 really picky eater 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 Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was pretty good at it. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would bring me their Game Boys to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember anything about it? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it caused the crew to chuckle. 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.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it was conceived, from what I understand, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Some character lines were established early on, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they developed it during shooting and, reportedly 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, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took a short while. It was a tough call for her. She said she had doubts, but she believed it could end up as one of the iconic quotes from the movie and she was right.