Actress Millie Bobby Brown has led tributes to her Godzilla vs Kong co-star Kaylee Hottle, who has died at the age of 18 in a car crash in Maryland. Hottle, who was deaf, played the young orphan Jia in the Monsterverse films and was widely praised not only for her acting but for her advocacy work raising awareness of deaf representation in Hollywood.

The single-vehicle crash happened in Ijamsville, near Frederick, Maryland, in the early hours of Tuesday, with police saying "excessive speed" was believed to be a factor. Hottle was a passenger in the car; the 19-year-old driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while a second passenger was uninjured. Her death was confirmed by her father in a video statement, and tributes followed from co-stars including Rebecca Hall, Eiza González and Oscar-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin, alongside a statement from production company Legendary Pictures praising her "heart, humanity, and light".