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Kaylee Hottle, Who Played Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, Dies Aged 18
Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress who played Jia in the MonsterVerse films Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, has died at the age of 18. She was killed in a car accident on Tuesday morning in Frederick, Maryland, with her father announcing the news via American Sign Language in a Facebook livestream while travelling to Texas to claim her body.
Hottle, who was from Atlanta, Georgia, and came from a multi-generational deaf family, was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf, which paid tribute to her in an Instagram post. She had appeared in commercials supporting deaf children, including a 2017 advert for video relay service Convo, before being cast as Jia, one of the last members of the Iwi tribe who is adopted by Dr Ilene Andrews and bonds with Kong through sign language. Hottle credited the Convo connection with helping the film's assistant director spot her for the role, which she went on to reprise in the 2024 sequel.
In short
- Godzilla vs. Kong actress Kaylee Hottle has died aged 18
- Killed in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland, on Tuesday
- Played deaf character Jia across two MonsterVerse films
Explained simply
Kaylee Hottle was a deaf actress from Atlanta, Georgia, who played Jia in the MonsterVerse films Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. She was 18 years old. Her character was a member of the last surviving Iwi tribe who communicated with Kong through sign language.
Hottle came from a multi-generational deaf family and was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf when she became known for her film roles. Before being cast in the films, she had appeared in commercials for deaf organisations and services. The film's assistant director discovered her through this commercial work and cast her in Godzilla vs. Kong, leading to her reprising the role in the 2024 sequel.
Her casting in the MonsterVerse films was one of the few instances of a deaf actor in a substantial role in a major Hollywood production. The character of Jia used sign language as a central element of the narrative. These films, which reached global audiences, provided visibility to Hottle's work and to deaf performers in mainstream cinema.