‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ actress Kaylee Hottle dies at age 18 in car accident
Kayley Hottle, a young actress who starred in “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Godzilla X Kong: New Empire,” died at the age of 18 in a car accident.
Kayley Hottle, the young actress who starred in “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Godzilla X Kong: New Empire,” has died at the age of 18.
Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the death to TMZ, saying the budding star died in a car accident in Maryland on the morning of Tuesday, July 21st. According to the outlet, Hottle shared the news in a video posted to Facebook, explaining in American Sign Language that he had flown in from Texas to collect his daughter’s body.
The Frederick County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Hottle was one of two passengers in the 2 a.m. crash. The crash involved a 19-year-old man allegedly driving at “excessive” speeds before veering off to the right side of the road and crashing into a culvert or tunnel. Hottle was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead, while the driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The accident is currently under investigation, the agency said.
USA TODAY has reached out to Hottle’s representatives for comment.
Hottle, who is also deaf, starred in the 2021 and 2024 films Godzilla vs. Kong as Zia, an orphaned Iwi adopted daughter of Kong expert and linguist Dr Eileen Andrews, played by British actress Rebecca Hall. Gia continues to form a unique bond with the giant ape, where the girl and Kong sign each other.
According to IMDb, Hottle also appeared in a 2021 episode of Magnum P.I. as Jun, and also appeared in the superhero film What Doesn’t Kill Us, which is still in pre-production.
Hottle was a fourth generation deaf actress. After the release of the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong, she told her blog The Daily Moth that she had to teach the cast how to sign autographs.
“They had never interacted with a deaf person before,” she said in ASL. “I had to explain how to sign and how to use facial expressions. That was the difficult part, but once they figured it out, it was no problem. It wasn’t particularly difficult. They were very nice. Some of the workers even learned how to sign.”
And she told WABC7 New York City in 2024 that her role “will have a huge impact.”
“For me, representation means showing where I come from, who I represent and what I represent,” Hottle said. “Gia in the movie represents courage. And I also represent the Deaf community. I also represent Asian Americans. So I really value representation.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
