Actress Kaylee Hottle, who portrayed the character Jia in Legendary's MonsterVerse films "Godzilla vs. Kong" and "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," has died at the age of 18. Hottle passed away Tuesday morning in Frederick, Maryland, as a result of a car accident, according to reports.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the news via a Facebook livestream conducted in American Sign Language while he was en route to Texas to retrieve her body. The Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was a student, also shared a statement on Instagram mourning the loss and offering support to the TSD community. The school noted that they had very limited information regarding the circumstances of the accident and asked for privacy for Hottle's family.
Hottle, who hailed from Atlanta, Georgia, was part of a multi-generational deaf family. She had previously appeared in commercials aimed at supporting deaf children before securing her role in the MonsterVerse. As Jia, she played one of the last members of the Iwi tribe, forming a unique bond with the giant ape Kong. The character, who is deaf, communicates with Kong using American Sign Language, a role that resonated with Hottle.
She reprised the role of Jia in the 2024 sequel, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire."
In 2024, Hottle credited the video relay service app Convo with playing a role in her film career. She explained that she used the app to communicate with cast and crew members on set and had appeared in a Convo commercial in 2017. It was through her participation in that commercial that an assistant director for "Kong: Skull Island" noticed her and considered her for the part of Jia, believing she fit the character description.