Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress who played the character of Jai in two Godzilla vs. Kong franchise movies, has died. She was 18.
TMZ was first to report on Hottle’s death in a tragic car crash on Tuesday morning in Maryland, as confirmed by her father, Joshua Hottle to the publication. Coming from an all-deaf family, Joshua Hottle also used American Sign Language (ASL) via a post on Facebook to convey his grief, alongside the caption: “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”
The Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was educated, in its own Facebook post paid tribute to its former student. “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.”
Hottle made her movie screen debut in both the original Godzilla vs. Kong movie at the age of 9 and then in the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire sequel. She played the role of Jia, a deaf, orphaned indigenous Iwi girl rescued on Skull Island by Kong, and then raised by Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), an anthropological linguist working for U.S. government monster research organization Monarch.
