Godzilla vs. Kong actress Kaylee Hottle died in a car accident. She was 18 years old and best known for her role as Jia in Godzilla Vs. Kong and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. Now, following this tragic news about the deaf actress, Millie Bobby Brown, who worked with her on Godzilla Vs. Kong, has paid tribute.
It was reported early in the morning on July 21 that Hottle had died in a car accident in Maryland, per TMZ. According to authorities, the person who was driving her went off the road and into a ditch. The actress’s father, Joshua, spoke to the outlet about this, saying he found out that his daughter’s heart stopped on the way to the hospital, and he had to fly there from Texas to get her body.
Overall, this is terribly sad and unexpected news. Now, people are sharing their tributes for her. This includes Millie Bobby Brown, who posted an image of Hottle in Godzilla Vs. Kong on her Instagram Story with the following message:
I’m so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee.
This is a sentiment that has been relayed by other people and organizations too, as news of Hottle’s death has spread. She was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf, and in a statement from the school (via NBC News), it was noted that “our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”
While Hottle was part of the Godzilla Vs. Kong ensemble and the New Empire cast, Brown made her debut as Madison Russell in Godzilla: King of the Monsters before reprising the character in the 2021 follow-up. However, she did not return for The New Empire.
Overall, the 2021 film both women were part of was met with middling-to-positive reviews. Meanwhile, The New Empire was dubbed the best MonsterVerse movie by some.
In these films, Hottle played Jia, the adoptive daughter of Rebecca Hall’s Dr. Ilene Andrews. She was taken in after they met on Skull Island, then Hottle, Hall, and their co-star Brian Tyree Henry all reprised their roles in the 2024 movie. Meanwhile, after Godzilla Vs. Kong in 2021, Millie Bobby Brown went on to work on other projects like the fourth and fifth seasons of Stranger Things, Enola Holmes 2 and more.
Along with the Godzilla movies (you can buy/rent Godzilla Vs. Kong and stream The New Empire with an HBO Max subscription), Hottle also worked on one episode of Magnum P.I. in 2021. She got her start acting in commercials, and TMZ noted that one of those was for Glide, a live video messaging app.
At this time, news is still coming out about Kaylee Hottle’s death, and so are tributes. We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to Kaylee Hottle’s family, friends and loved ones during this tragic time.
