Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress whose portrayal of Jia brought authentic representation to Legendary’s “Godzilla” and “Kong” franchise, died Tuesday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland. She was 18.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, who is also deaf, announced her death in a Facebook livestream delivered in American Sign Language, saying he was traveling from Texas to claim her body after learning her heart had stopped on the way to the hospital. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland confirmed the accident. Hottle was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf, which released a statement asking the public to respect her family’s privacy while details remain limited.
Born in Atlanta on May 1, 2007, Hottle came from a multi-generational deaf family and was fluent in American Sign Language from childhood. She entered the entertainment industry through advocacy work, appearing in commercials for the deaf community, including one for the video relay service Convo. That commercial caught the attention of casting agents working on “Kong: Skull Island,” who saw in her a match for the character description of Jia.
She made her feature debut in 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” at age nine, playing a deaf orphaned girl who forms a bond with Kong and is taken in by Dr. Ilene Andrews, portrayed by Rebecca Hall. Hottle reprised the role in 2024’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” a performance that earned her a Saturn Award nomination for best performance by a younger actor.
Tributes poured in from across the industry Tuesday. Hall posted a series of behind-the-scenes photos with Hottle on Instagram, writing that she was devastated by the news and that her heart went out to the family. Millie Bobby Brown, who appeared alongside Hottle in “Godzilla vs. Kong,” shared a similar message on her Instagram story.
Actor Dan Stevens posted a tribute image with a broken heart emoji, and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin wrote on Facebook that she was gutted by the loss of what she called Hottle’s beauty and talent. Legendary Pictures issued a statement calling Hottle a cherished member of its film family whose portrayal of Jia brought extraordinary heart and humanity to the franchise.
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Beyond her film work, Hottle appeared in a 2021 episode of the “Magnum P.I.” reboot and was widely credited with expanding visibility for deaf performers in major studio productions.
