From the moment we’re introduced to Taylor on Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, fans are in for a thrill ride. The British international student isn’t interested in playing by the rules. Right out of the gate Taylor — played by the brilliant Mia Rodgers — establishes herself as the new freshthem queen of Essex.
Some of her first-week antics include trolling her advisor Bela (Amrit Kaur), — who, herself, is seeking redemption after a rough first year — keeping track of her hook-ups by way of a flawed but clever iCalendar system, and navigating sober life after a heartbreaking relapse.
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But beneath Taylor’s tough, chaotic exterior is a soft heart, simply wanting to love and be loved.
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We caught up with Rodgers via Zoom to dish about her big acting break. While Rodgers’ Taylor may only be 19 years old, Rodgers has drawn from a lifetime of wisdom and experience to create this complex and nuanced character.
What was the audition process like for your character, Taylor?
I auditioned for Taylor last December, and it was just like a standard self-tape. I loved the script, loved the character description, and I also loved the show. But annoyingly, when the show came out in 2021, I wasn’t able to access it because I was in the UK, and they’re just always very funny about letting us see things. So I was a fan from afar — I would watch it on Reels and things like that.
But then, once I got the audition, I was like, “Okay, let me delve into this. Surely I can, I can access it somewhere.” So I got the audition, watched the first four episodes, and then sent my tape off, which was great. About a month later, because it was over Christmas, it took me a while to hear anything — as is the industry anyway — I got a call from my agent like, “Hey, they want to have a Zoom with you. Are you interested?”
I was so excited. I jumped on Zoom with them, and then the next morning, found out I got the part.
Before you landed this role, what were you doing? What was life like?
Before I landed this role, I had just graduated drama school. I went to a drama school in London called the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and I had just got signed [with an agency] off the back of that. But I was working in a bar. I had been in the bar for about a year and a half. I loved it, but it was not my calling.
So when this audition came about, I was like, ‘This is a dream come true’ and definitely something I would have jumped at the chance to be a part of. But I wasn’t anticipating getting it or anything. You try these things, then you kind of have to put them to bed, because you will drive yourself insane. And it just so happened that this one worked out.
The day I found out I got the role, I quit. I had my last bar shift that night, and I quit that day.
Throughout the season, we see Taylor as she in recovery from alcoholism. Would you say working in a bar has helped you understand the human side of people who struggle with addiction?
That’s such a beautiful question. Definitely. I think in just in general, in the world, alcohol is such a crutch for so many. And whether that can stem from just going to a party and having fun, or if it’s a vice or a way to actually talk about your emotions, or to open up. Or if you want to start with one and then have six. It’s universal. It’s everywhere. And I think working in a bar exposes you to that.
There were regulars that came in every single day, and that’s where some people got their social aspects of their life. They made their mates at the bar. They fell in love at the bar. It was gorgeous. But of course, it had its dark sides, and its moments where somebody went too far, or you had to put somebody in a cab.
From where would you say you derive Taylor’s chaotic energy?
Myself. I mean, look, we’re all humans trying this weird thing called life. And she is so relatable in so many ways, in the sense of like she’s a young woman figuring herself out and exploring that through different ways — whether that be her relationships, her friendships, love, her vulnerabilities — that’s exactly the same with me. I’m a young woman working out who I am, what I want to say, how I want to say it, and trying my hand at everything. It’s something that’s exciting but terrifying. And Taylor is very much true to herself, and that’s something that I try and try to instill in myself. I feel like Taylor is a person that I have met 1000 times, whether that’s me or someone else.
Taylor and Bela often butt heads, but at the end of the day, they have each other’s backs. What is it like working with Amrit as a scene partner in these moments?
Amrit is a force to be reckoned with. She’s so cool, she’s genuinely so insightful and inquisitive, and she wants to understand you and the world around her. And as an actor, that’s so important and refreshing, and it’s amazing to see how that side of her personality also relates to her work, because she cares so much, and you can tell, and you can see that she’s so talented.
Coming into this as being my first big job, the biggest set I’ve ever been on, there are so many learning curves throughout that, but to have somebody like her working alongside you that’s like, ‘Hey, I’m here to help’ was great.
In an upcoming episode, we see Taylor struggling with a crush. What advice can you give to younger women navigating queer feelings?
Taylor is somebody that is so complex, and I hope that people are able to find themselves within her and relate to her. To have somebody like Taylor representing the queer community, I want people to be able to understand that you’re not going through this alone. This story isn’t a coming out story for Taylor, which I think is amazing to see.
I think it’s great to have [coming out stories] and that’s so pivotal and important. But this is one in which she’s already there. She’s done the groundwork. She knows who she is, and she knows who she loves, and she’s not ashamed to say and explore that, and be true to herself.
And I want people to be able to see that and understand…whether that’s from the conversation of them asking ‘Hey, do I want to kiss a girl?’ or ‘Hey, I’m fully in love with my best friend’
Just to know that that story is out there and other people relate to that, and to have that comfort, I think is so important.♦
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