Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall and Marlee Matlin are mourning Kaylee Hottle, the Deaf actor who played Jia in two MonsterVerse films, following her death at age 18.
Hottle died after a car crash in Ijamsville, Maryland, early on July 21. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said she was a passenger in a vehicle that left the road and struck a culvert. The collision remains under investigation.
Brown, who worked with Hottle in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, shared a black-and-white photograph of her former costar holding a toy Kong figure.
Millie Bobby Brown Said Hottle Would Be ‘Deeply Missed’
View this post on Instagram
Brown shared her message through Instagram Stories alongside an image that connected Hottle to the role that introduced her to international audiences. “I’m so devastated to hear this,” she wrote. “You will be deeply missed Kaylee.”
Hottle played Jia, a Deaf orphan who communicates with Kong through American Sign Language and becomes one of his closest human companions.
Brown appeared as Madison Russell in Godzilla vs. Kong, which also starred Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza González and Kyle Chandler. Brown did not return for 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, while Hottle, Hall and Henry reprised their roles.
Rebecca Hall Shared Photographs From Their Two Films
Hall, who played Jia’s adoptive mother, Dr. Ilene Andrews, shared several behind-the-scenes photographs of herself with Hottle. The carousel included images of the pair smiling, making faces for the camera and spending time with costar Dan Stevens away from the finished films’ visual effects.
“Devastated to hear this news,” Hall wrote, according to People. “My heart goes out to your family. You will be missed Kaylee.”
Hall and Hottle appeared together in both of Hottle’s MonsterVerse movies. Their characters’ relationship remained central to The New Empire, which followed Jia as she discovered more about her identity and connection to the Iwi community.
Marlee Matlin Said She Was ‘Absolutely Gutted’
Matlin, an Oscar winner and longtime advocate for Deaf performers, said it had been a privilege to meet Hottle in 2025. “I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle,” Matlin wrote. “May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity.” She also encouraged people to be kind to one another and to take time to listen to their children.
Other Deaf actors also responded to Hottle’s death. Alaqua Cox, who was set to appear with her in the upcoming film What Doesn’t Kill Us, said she was heartbroken and offered condolences to Hottle’s family. CODA star Troy Kotsur wrote that the news reminded him not to take time with loved ones for granted.
Hottle Made Her Film Debut as Jia
Hottle was a native ASL signer from a multigenerational Deaf family. Before joining the MonsterVerse, she appeared in advertising campaigns and later had a role in a 2021 episode of Magnum P.I.
Her performance in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Younger Performer in a Film. During a 2024 interview with the Associated Press, Hottle said the people she admired most were her parents and sisters.