Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress best known for playing Jia in two ‘Godzilla’ films, has passed away at the age of 19.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, shared the news in a 23-minute-long live stream, which was transcribed and reported by TMZ, where he explained in ASL that he had to fly to Maryland to pick up her body. He added that Kaylee was involved in a serious car accident, with officials having called him to say that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.
She first appeared in “Godzilla vs. Kong” in 2021, playing Jia, a character who communicates with King Kong through sign language. Kaylee then reprised her role in the 2024 movie “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.”
Kaylee Hottle is a Fourth-Generation Deaf Actress
Kaylee is a fourth-generation deaf actress and detailed what her role in the “Godzilla” films meant to her.
“After I watched the movie, I thought, wow, this is going to make such a big impact,” Hottle said in a March 2024 interview with ABC7 NY. . “And I was so excited. She’s a young deaf girl, just like all many others out there. And this journey that she’s going on is just going to be so amazing.
“Representation means to me, it shows where I come from and who I represent and what I’m representing for,” she added. “Jia in the movie, she represents bravery. And I represent the deaf community. And I also represent Asian Americans as well. So we have everything we need. And so I truly care so much about representation.”
Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, and Rebecca Hall, who all starred in the movie as Bernie Hayes, Trapper, and Dr. Ilene Andrews, respectively, also talked about Kaylee, praising her work in an interview with ABC 7 Los Angeles.
“”It is kind of a pretty extraordinary phenomenon to have a deaf actress as the lead of a massive you know, blockbuster movie,” Stevens said.
“She just takes it in stride,” Hall added.
And Hottle truly enjoyed working with every one of them.
“You know, they have so much experience as actors. And this is only my second time acting. So, working alongside them, it was very easy to work with them. And it was a great experience for me,” said Hottle.
Tributes Pour In For Kaylee Hottle
“Oh no! She was great in the movie… gone way too soon because of a car accident… this is so unfortunate. May she rest in peace. 😢😢😢😢😢,” one person commented.
“Sending my condolences 💐 to family and friends rest peacefully🕊️🖤👑🖤🕊️,” another person wrote.
“That’s awful such a beautiful talented girl taken way too soon,” someone posted.
“Oh that is devastating. My condolences to her family, way too young. Be safe on the roads, people,” a fan shared.
“Absolutely heartbreaking news. She was so talented and brought such incredible representation to the MonsterVerse films. Rest in peace,” another fan stated.
“Such a talented young actress who brought so much heart to the Godzilla films,” one fan expressed.
