Tracie Thoms is good at making forceful characters funny without making them foolish. We value her comic timing and vocal strength, and wish more of her supporting parts gave her as much to do as Death Proof.
Fi1m perspective
At the wheel in Death Proof (2007), Tracie Thoms makes driving and swearing look like parts of the same job. Her Kim delivers the language quickly, with the practical irritation of someone who has other things to attend to. We became interested again because her urgency gave us something to watch after too much aimless talk. Quentin Tarantino's film is uneven, and our enthusiasm for her should not be mistaken for an unqualified recommendation of it.
Her film breakthrough as Joanne Jefferson in Rent (2005) made use of her singing; Lily in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) put her comic timing to work in an ensemble. These are useful skills for a supporting actor, who has to make a line count without bringing the scene to a halt. Television has supplied more sustained work, from detective Kat Miller in Cold Case (2005–2010) to Karen Wilson in 9-1-1, a recurring role begun in 2018. The recurring attraction is her directness: she can be outspoken without letting that become a character's only quality.
In Death Proof, that quality has room to work alongside Rosario Dawson and Zoë Bell. Editor Sally Menke cuts the driving in long takes, allowing us to follow the action and see the physical effort involved. Thoms's forceful delivery belongs in that company: the swearing is funny, but it does not make the danger seem harmless. She need not soften Kim to make her worth watching. The limitation is a film that takes too long to give this combination of performers enough to do.
Looper (2012) is a stronger film, but our recommendation rests on Rian Johnson's bruising central conflict, rather than Thoms's supporting role as Beatrix. Her return as Lily in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) comes with a different reservation. The reunion is amiable and well acted, but the old team has too little to do. We would like to see more parts that give her the freedom Kim does. Start with Death Proof for Thoms, provided you can tolerate the long stretches when nobody is driving.
Biography
Tracie Thoms is an American actress and singer. She was born on 19 August 1975 in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a BFA from Howard University and a graduate diploma from the Juilliard School.
Thoms is known for her role as Joanne Jefferson in the 2005 film Rent and its Broadway productions, as Lily in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and its 2026 sequel, and as Kim in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (2007). She has appeared in films including Looper (2012) and Safe House (2012), and on television in Cold Case, Wonderfalls, Suits, Grey's Anatomy and, since 2018, as Karen Wilson in 9-1-1. On stage she played Dr Charlotte in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos.
