Millie Bobby Brown and Hollywood mourn Godzilla co-star Kaylee Hottle, 18, after fatal car crash

'Devastated': Millie Bobby Brown leads emotional tributes after Godzilla co-star Kaylee Hottle's death at 18

Hollywood is mourning the loss of Kaylee Hottle, the 18-year-old deaf actress who died in a car crash in Maryland earlier this week. Hottle became known worldwide for her role as Jia in the Godzilla franchise, appearing in both Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Millie Bobby Brown, who worked alongside Hottle in the monster films, expressed her grief on Instagram. "I'm so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee," Brown wrote.

Oscar winner Marlee Matlin described Hottle as "sweet" and said she was "absolutely gutted" by the news. "May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity," Matlin wrote in tribute to the young performer.

Hottle came from a four-generation deaf family on her father's side and was born in Georgia. Fluent in American Sign Language from birth, she brought authentic representation to her breakout role as Jia, a deaf orphan who forms a special bond with Kong and communicates with him through sign language.

Rising star with industry recognition

Casting director Sarah Halley Finn discovered Hottle after an assistant director from Kong: Skull Island saw her in a Convo video relay service commercial. The discovery led to her debut in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, which grossed $442.5 million worldwide despite being released simultaneously on HBO Max during the pandemic, becoming only the second film of the COVID-19 era to earn more than $100 million domestically.

Her performance in the 2024 sequel earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire became the highest-grossing film in the Monsterverse franchise with $572.5 million worldwide, surpassing Kong: Skull Island's previous record of $568.6 million.

Alexander Skarsgård, Hottle's co-star in the Godzilla films, had previously spoken warmly about working with the young actress. Both he and Rebecca Hall learned American Sign Language to communicate with Hottle on set when not filming. Speaking to Junkee in 2021, Skarsgård praised her professionalism, noting how impressed the crew was with her ability to quickly incorporate the director's notes into her performance.

Deaf community pays tribute

Alaqua Cox, Hottle's co-star in the upcoming film What Doesn't Kill Us and a fellow deaf actor, shared an emotional tribute. "I'm so heartbroken. My heart goes out to her family during this unimaginable time," Cox wrote on Instagram.

Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, who starred in CODA, said the tragedy made him think of his own daughter and reminded him not to take time with loved ones for granted. He offered his "deepest condolences" to Hottle's family.

Hottle's work represented significant progress in deaf representation in Hollywood. Her authentic casting as a deaf character portrayed by a deaf actress reflected growing industry awareness, though challenges remain in ensuring authentic representation across film and television.

The Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, where Hottle was a senior, announced that counselling and support services would be available to her classmates and friends. The school, founded in 1857 and the oldest continually-operated public school in Texas, serves approximately 500 students in grades Pre-K through 12. "Please keep Kaylee's loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together," the school said.

Hottle's father, Joshua Hottle, who is also deaf, announced her death in an American Sign Language Facebook livestream. He later spoke about the family's grief in an ASL post. "Kaylee's mom and four siblings are crushed. They are together at home, grieving," he said.

In a 2024 interview with The Associated Press, Hottle had said she had not watched monster movies before being cast in Godzilla vs. Kong, relying on her father to help her understand the genre. "I look up to a lot of people, but the one person I look up to, the few people I look up to mostly, are my parents and my sisters," she said through an interpreter.

Beyond the Godzilla franchise, Hottle had appeared in an episode of Magnum P.I. and was listed as part of the cast of What Doesn't Kill Us. At just 18, her career was still in its early stages, but her performance as Jia had already left a lasting impression on her co-stars, classmates and audiences worldwide.