Kaylee Hottle dead at 18: Godzilla vs Kong child star passes away after tragic car crash

Kaylee Hottle, who starred in two Godzilla films, has died age 18. 

The actress was killed in a car crash Tuesday morning in Maryland, her father Joshua Hottle revealed to TMZ. 

Kaylee, who was deaf, played a young girl who could communicate with Godzilla using sign language in the 2021 film Godzilla vs Kong and its 2024 sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Before this, she did commercials for products used by the deaf and hard of hearing community. 

Kaylee’s father broke the news with his Facebook followers in a livestream titled ‘I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,’ in which he described having to travel from Texas to claim his daughter’s body, according to TMZ.

Joshua, who is also deaf, said via American Sign Language that he received a phone call from officials telling him his daughter’s heart had stopped on the way to the hospital not long after he learned about the accident. 

Kaylee Hottle, the actress who played ‘Jia’ in Godzilla vs Kong, has died at age 18 following a car crash

She starred in the 2021 film Godzilla vs Kong and it’s sequel, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

The Daily Mail has reached out to Kaylee’s father for comment.

Kaylee’s school, the Texas School for the Deaf, also announced her passing on their Facebook page. 

‘It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.

‘Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.

‘At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee’s family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident.

‘We recognize this loss will have a significant impact on our TSD community. Counseling and support services are available for students and staff who may need them, with additional support being provided for Kaylee’s classmates and friends.

‘Please keep Kaylee’s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together.’

Kaylee is perhaps best known for her role of Jia, a young girl who was able to communicate with King Kong using sign language and had a ‘special’ connection with him. 

‘Because Kong and my character had a special bond. We signed with each other,’ she told The Daily Moth in 2021.

The script was translated into ASL with the help of Kaylee’s parents and another individual – a process that presented some challenges on set. 

Kaylee’s character Jia communicated with Kong using sign language 

The tragic loss was also announced by Kaylee’s school, the Texas School For The Deaf

‘I was fine with memorizing the script and signing my lines, but the tough part was signing out the “spoken” parts because we had to change it, and sometimes they’d tell us it was wrong but they didn’t understand that ASL changes almost everything,’ she said.

‘Because the interpreter said what I said. The producer and director would sometimes say “Don’t say that” and want me to follow the script, but the signs for that sentence would be different in ASL.

‘There was one instance where there was a misunderstanding between us related to the ASL translation, which caused a delay, but they later understood.’

Kaylee also taught her castmates how to sign: ‘Teaching the cast how to sign. They had never interacted with a deaf person before. 

‘I had to explain how to sign and use facial expressions. That was the hard part, but when they picked up on it, it was fine. I didn’t really have challenges, they were very accommodating. Some of the workers learned how to sign.’

At the time, Kaylee’s co-star Alexander Skarsgård sang her praises, calling her the star of the film. 

Rebecca Hall played Jia’s adopted mother, Dr. Ilene Andrews 

Godzilla vs Kong star Alexander Skarsgard sang Kaylee’s praises in a 2021 interview

He even learned American Sign Language in order to communicate with her when they weren’t filming. 

Kaylee ‘steals the movie,’ he told Junkee in 2021. 

‘It’s her first movie,’ he said. ‘It’s fascinating how comfortable she is in front of the camera and how quickly she takes notes from the director Adam [Wingard]. 

‘He’ll explain something and she’ll be like ‘got it, got it’ then she’ll just do it and everyone’s like ‘the f— … how did she?’ She’s so professional and just incredibly … there’s so much going on on her face, her expression and the subtleties of that is fascinating to watch.’

According to her IMDb, Kaylee hails from an all-deaf family. 

In addition to her role in the Godzilla films, Kaylee appeared on an episode of Magnum P.I. and did commercials for products which helped deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

She did a public service announcement for the video chat messenger Glide and a commercial for Convo Relay. 

Kaylee was also featured in 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message. 

Outside of the spotlight, she also was an athlete as a member of her school’s track and field team.  

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