Millie Bobby Brown has led the tributes for her late co-star Kaylee Hottle, who has died at the age of 18.
The pair starred together in 2021’s Godzilla Vs Kong and its sequel, 2024’s Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
Hottle died as a result of a car crash that occurred in Maryland.
In response to the news, Brown wrote on Instagram: “I’m so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee.”
In Godzilla vs Kong, Kaylee, who was deaf, portrayed Jia, a teenager who communicates with King Kong via sign language and lives on Skull Island with Rebecca Hall’s character Dr. Ilene Andrews.
Her death was announced by her father, Joshua Hottle, who told TMZ of the news after posting a tearful Facebook livestream.
In the video, he explained in ASL that he was in Texas when he got a call from authorities about the collision, and that he received a follow-up call stating his daughter’s heart had stopped while on the way to the hospital.
Among the many paying tribute to Hottle was Marlee Matlin, the first deaf actress to win an Oscar. Matlin shared a photo on X with Hottle and fellow actress Shoshannah Stern, stating: “I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle. May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity.”
Stern also posted about Hottle’s death on social media, writing: “I am heartbroken. My deepest sympathies to the Hottle family.”
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Hottle, from Atlanta, Georgia, began her acting career in commercials. At nine, she starred in an ad for the live video messaging app Glide, which is used by many members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
She also had a small role in the Prime Video action series Magnum P.I.
She was born in 2007 and, according to a 2024 interview with Chron magazine, she was scouted by casting director Sarah Halley Finn for the Godzilla role after appearing in an advert for the video relay service app Convo.
She also spoke about representation for deaf actors in Hollywood, saying: “I see a lot of positive things. There’s not a lot of deaf roles or opportunities out there. And so now we’re able, [and] I’m able to get them, and I think I’ve seen more and more growth and positivity.”
Hottle’s family spans four generations of deaf relatives on her father’s side.
In his Facebook post, Hottle’s father said that he was flying to Maryland to claim her body. He captioned the post: “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”
