I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Candid Conversation.

The action icon is universally recognized as an action movie legend. However, during the peak of his blockbuster fame in the late 20th century, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which marks its 35-year mark this holiday season.

The Film and The Famous Scene

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger embodies a undercover cop who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to track down a criminal. During the film's runtime, the investigation plot acts as a simple backdrop for Arnold to film humorous moments with his young class. Arguably the most famous belongs to a student named Joseph, who spontaneously announces and states the former bodybuilder, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. In addition to this part featured a recurring role on Full House as the bully to the famous sisters and the character of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. He also frequently attends the con circuit. Not long ago recalled his experiences from the set of Kindergarten Cop after all this time.

Behind the Scenes

Interviewer: First, 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 can't remember being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're brief images. They're like mental photographs.

Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and then leave. My parents would feed me the lines and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content I was reading.

Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was incredibly nice. He was playful. He was nice, which I suppose isn't too surprising. It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a productive set. He was fun to be around.

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

I knew he was a huge celebrity because my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was merely entertaining 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 dangling there. He was really, really generous. He purchased for each child in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was the hottest tech. This was the coolest device, 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 wore out in time. I also was given a genuine metal whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your experience as being fun?

You know, it's interesting, that movie is such a landmark. 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, traveling to Oregon, the production design, but my memories are of being a really picky eater at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like 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 youngest and some of the bigger kids would hand me their devices to get past hard parts on games because I knew how, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

That Famous Quote

OK, the infamous quote, do you remember anything about it? Did you understand the words?

At the time, I likely didn't understand what the word shocking meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it originated, from what I understand, was they didn't have specific roles. Some character lines were written into the script, but once they had the whole cast on the set, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, reportedly the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a day or two. It was a tough call for her. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it could end up as one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and she was right.