I'm Known As the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Candid Conversation.
The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an action movie legend. But, at the height of his star power in the late 20th century, he also starred in several critically acclaimed comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which hits its 35-year mark this holiday season.
The Film and The Famous Scene
In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger plays a hardened detective who masquerades as a elementary educator to locate a fugitive. Throughout the film's runtime, the procedural element acts as a loose framework for Arnold to have charming scenes with children. Arguably the most famous features a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere rises and states the former bodybuilder, “It's boys who have a penis, females have a vagina.” The Terminator responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”
The boy behind the line was played by youth performer Miko Hughes. In addition to this part featured a character arc on Full House playing the antagonist to the child stars and the haunting part of the resurrected boy in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with multiple films on the horizon. He also frequently attends popular culture events. He recently recalled his experiences from the filming of the classic 35 years later.
A Young Actor's Perspective
Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?
Miko Hughes: My understanding is I was four. I was the youngest of all the kids on set.
Wow, I can't remember being four. Do you have any memories from that time?
Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like mental photographs.
Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?
My parents, primarily my mom would accompany me to auditions. Frequently 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 briefly, read a small part they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines and then, once I learned to read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.
Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?
He was extremely gentle. He was playful. He was good-natured, which I suppose stands to reason. It'd be weird if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a positive atmosphere. He was fun to be around.
“It'd be weird 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 not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was merely entertaining 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 dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be holding on. He was incredibly giving. He gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. That was the must-have gadget, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It eventually broke. I also received a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.
Do you remember your time filming as being positive?
You know, it's amusing, that movie was this cultural thing. 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 the star himself, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. Like, 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 brand new. That was the hot thing, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.
The Infamous Moment
OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember the context? Did you grasp the meaning?
At the time, I probably didn't know what the word provocative meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it caused the crew to chuckle. I was aware it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was humorous.
“My mom thought hard about it.”
How it came about, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. 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, I suppose the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, let me sleep on it" and took some time. She really wrestled with it. She said she was hesitant, but she believed it could end up as one of the iconic quotes from the movie and history proved her correct.
