Kaylee Hottle deaf actress and MonsterVerse star. Discover her age, breakout role as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong, Saturn Award nomination, and inspiring career story.
Kaylee Hottle is one of the most remarkable young talents to emerge from Hollywood in recent years — a deaf actress who landed a major blockbuster role before most teenagers have even thought seriously about a career. Born on May 1, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia, she made her feature-film debut at just 13 years old as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), a performance that drew praise from audiences and co-stars alike for its emotional authenticity and natural screen presence.
What makes her story so compelling is how it happened. Hottle wasn’t discovered through conventional auditions or acting school pipelines. A Convo commercial she filmed at age 10 caught the eye of an assistant director already working in the MonsterVerse — and from there, one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises came knocking.
Quick Facts About Kaylee Hottle
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kaylee Hottle |
| Date of Birth | May 1, 2007 |
| Birthplace | Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
| Profession | Actress |
| Education | Texas School for the Deaf, Austin, Texas |
| Famous For | Role as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire |
| Language | American Sign Language (ASL) — primary language |
| Family | All-Deaf family; four generations of Deaf relatives on father’s side |
| Award Nominations | Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor (2025) |
Growing Up in a Deaf World: Early Life and Family
Kaylee Hottle was born into a family where American Sign Language is not just a communication tool — it is a shared identity and a living culture. Both of her parents are Deaf, and four generations of her father Joshua Hottle’s family have been part of the Deaf community. For Kaylee, ASL was simply her first language, as natural and instinctive as spoken English is for hearing children.
She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, embedded in the Deaf community from birth. Her upbringing was shaped not by any sense of limitation, but by an understanding of Deaf culture as something rich, distinct, and worth celebrating. That perspective — that deafness is simply another way of existing in the world — would become central to how she spoke about her career and her characters in later years.
Hottle has said in interviews that her family always encouraged her to pursue her interests fully. That support gave her a confidence and ease in front of cameras that industry professionals would later find extraordinary for someone so young and so new to film.
Education and Student Life at the Texas School for the Deaf
Hottle attended the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas, a school with a long tradition of academic and athletic excellence within the Deaf community. There, she was far more than a celebrity student. She was a committed student-athlete who competed in basketball, swimming, and track and field, and was recognized as the school’s Student-Athlete of the Month during the 2024–2025 school year for her performance both in the classroom and in her sports.
The Texas School for the Deaf provided Hottle with a community of peers who shared her language and her experience. It grounded her during what became an extraordinary few years of professional activity. The school paid warm tribute to her as a beloved member of its community, a recognition that reflected how fully she participated in student life even while maintaining an active film career.
The Convo Commercial That Changed Everything
Before Hollywood, Kaylee Hottle appeared in a handful of projects that introduced her to ASL-speaking audiences. In 2016, she appeared in a public service announcement for the Glide app. The following year, at just ten years old, she starred in a Mother’s Day commercial for Convo, an American Sign Language video relay service described as a deaf-owned, globally run communication platform.
She also appeared in the 2018 short film 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message, directed by Sheena McFeely and produced by ASL Nook. These early appearances were rooted in advocacy and community storytelling rather than commercial ambition. Hottle simply enjoyed performing and connecting with Deaf audiences — she had no master plan for a Hollywood career.
The Convo commercial turned out to be the pivot point. An assistant director who had worked on Kong: Skull Island happened to see it and passed Hottle’s name to casting director Sarah Halley Finn, who was actively searching for a deaf actress to play a deaf character in an upcoming MonsterVerse film. What followed changed Hottle’s life entirely.
Breakthrough: Playing Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Released on March 31, 2021, Godzilla vs. Kong was one of the most anticipated blockbusters of its year. At its emotional center was Jia — a young, deaf orphan from the Iwi tribe who had been adopted by Dr. Ilene Andrews (played by Rebecca Hall) and who shared a unique, wordless bond with Kong himself. The role required a deaf actress who could convey immense feeling through expression, body language, and ASL alone. Hottle was thirteen years old. She had never appeared in a feature film.
Casting director Sarah Halley Finn guided her to the role after seeing the Convo commercial, and what followed was a debut performance that left industry veterans visibly impressed. Director Adam Wingard and co-stars Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgård both learned ASL specifically to communicate with Hottle on set. Skarsgård spoke about her in a 2021 interview with notable surprise and admiration. “It’s her first movie,” he said. “It’s fascinating how comfortable she is in front of the camera and how quickly she takes notes from the director… He’ll explain something, and she’ll be like, ‘Got it, got it,’ then she’ll just do it, and everyone’s like, ‘how did she?'” He added: “There’s so much going on on her face — the expression and the subtleties of that is fascinating to watch.”
Godzilla vs. Kong was a significant commercial success, and Jia became one of its most talked-about characters — not just for her narrative role, but for what she represented: authentic, unforced Deaf representation in a major studio tentpole.
Returning as Jia: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Three years after her debut, Hottle reprised her role as Jia in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, released on March 29, 2024. The sequel expanded Jia’s story significantly, exploring her origins and her connection to the Iwi people while deepening her relationship with Kong. For Hottle, now 16, the experience felt markedly different from the first film. She had grown up — and so had her character.
Speaking to Digital Spy ahead of the sequel’s release, she reflected on what Jia means to Deaf audiences: “Jia being a Deaf person in this world, it’s so amazing to see her on the big screen. I hope that Deaf people see her and they think the same thing — that she is as amazing as I think she is.” She also described the Jia–Kong relationship with real thoughtfulness: “I think Jia grew up not having anybody and now she’s able to connect with King Kong. They have such a caring relationship for each other. Both of them are able to find their own paths… to that place they want to call home.”
The film earned Hottle a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor at the 52nd Saturn Awards in 2025 — recognition from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films that confirmed her standing as a genuine talent, not merely a novelty cast.
Magnum P.I. and Further Appearances
Beyond the MonsterVerse, Hottle also made a guest appearance on the rebooted Magnum P.I. television series in 2021, adding a TV credit to her still-young résumé. The appearance showed range and a willingness to take on different contexts, not simply remain defined by one franchise.
A Voice for Deaf Representation in Hollywood
Throughout her career, Kaylee Hottle used every interview and public appearance as an opportunity to speak about Deaf representation with clarity and purpose. She pushed back gently against the idea that deafness needs to be framed as either a barrier or a superpower. Her own words put it best: “I think some people see ASL and deafness as a barrier or a gift, but it’s just a language, and deaf is just deaf. We can do many things, just not hear.”
That matter-of-fact dignity shaped how she talked about Jia and about her own presence in Hollywood. She wanted Deaf children to watch her on screen and simply see themselves — not a character defined by her disability, but a person who happens to be Deaf and who is fully, actively at the center of the story.
In Summary
Kaylee Hottle’s career is a testament to what becomes possible when authenticity is prioritized over convention. She arrived in Hollywood through a community advocacy commercial, landed a role in one of the world’s biggest film franchises, earned an awards nomination, and became a role model for Deaf audiences globally — all before graduating high school.
Her story belongs to the Deaf community that raised her and to the young audiences who saw themselves in Jia for the first time. In a few short years, she demonstrated something simple and important: that the right person for a role is the person who truly lives the experience — and that representation, when it’s real, resonates far beyond any box office number.
The path she carved in Hollywood is one that future Deaf actors will walk more easily because of the ground she covered first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Who is Kaylee Hottle?
Kaylee Hottle is an American deaf actress born on May 1, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known for playing Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), making her one of the most prominent deaf actresses in mainstream Hollywood.
Q2: Is Kaylee Hottle really deaf?
Yes, Kaylee Hottle was born deaf and comes from an all-Deaf family, with four generations of Deaf relatives on her father’s side. American Sign Language is her primary language, and she communicates naturally through ASL both on and off screen.
Q3: How did Kaylee Hottle get cast in Godzilla vs. Kong?
Hottle was discovered after an assistant director from Kong: Skull Island saw her in a 2017 Convo app commercial and passed her name to casting director Sarah Halley Finn. Finn was searching specifically for a deaf actress to play Jia, a deaf character, and Hottle was a perfect fit.
Q4: What awards has Kaylee Hottle been nominated for?
Hottle received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor at the 52nd Saturn Awards in 2025 for her role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The Saturn Awards are presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
Q5: Where did Kaylee Hottle go to school?
Hottle attended the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas. She was an active student-athlete there, competing in basketball, swimming, and track and field, and was named Student-Athlete of the Month during the 2024–2025 school year.
Q6: What other projects has Kaylee Hottle appeared in?
Beyond the MonsterVerse, Hottle appeared in a guest role on the Magnum P.I. reboot in 2021. Earlier in her career, she appeared in advocacy commercials for Convo and Glide and in the 2018 short 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message.
Q7: What did Kaylee Hottle say about Deaf representation?
Hottle spoke openly about representation in multiple interviews, often rejecting the idea that deafness should be framed dramatically. She said: “Deaf is just deaf. We can do many things, just not hear.” She hoped that Deaf children watching Jia on screen would see themselves reflected naturally and powerfully.