The sister of the late Kaylee Hottle, the young, deaf actress known for her roles in two Godzilla films, will step in to play the part intended for her sibling in a film about people with disabilities.
PEOPLE reported that Hottle’s sister Jasmine is filling her late sibling’s role in the forthcoming film What Doesn’t Kill Us, which had cast the Godzilla vs. Kong star before her untimely death earlier this year. The movie’s writer and producer Andy Mingo confirmed the casting decision.
“Like Kaylee, Jasmine is deaf, and her involvement allows us to honor Kaylee’s memory while continuing the work she was going to be part of,” Mingo told PEOPLE. “Kaylee’s passing was an unimaginable tragedy, and her loss is felt deeply by everyone involved with the project,” he said. “When we began discussing how to move forward, the possibility of Jasmine taking on her sister’s role emerged as something particularly meaningful.”
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In What Doesn’t Kill Us, people with disabilities find out the characteristics society sees as limitations may be extraordinary strengths. The film explores identity, resilience and the meaning of being a hero, with a cast made entirely of actors with disabilities, PEOPLE reported. Alaqua Cox, a deaf actress known for parts in Marvel’s Echo and Hawkeye, and Maddie Haining have roles.
In 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, Hottle played Jia, a young deaf orphan and the last surviving member of the Iwi tribe who forms a special bond with King Kong through sign language. She reprised the role in 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, earning a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. She died in a car crash in July at 18 years old.
