Edel Coffey: Life can get pretty real by the time you hit your forties

"I think the second half of life has a lot of advantages, not least of which are a solid sense of confidence in ourselves, empowerment, and a fair bit of wisdom gained through hard knocks and experience..."

Sarah Michelle Gellar arrives at the premiere of new film The Air I Breathe at the Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles.

I was surprised to see a familiar face from the past when I sat down to watch the film Do Revenge last weekend. I recognised the actress, but she was out of context, not brandishing a stake to slay vampires or dressed in a school uniform as queen bee of a preppy college, but rather outfitted in mature shades of beige biscuit and the even more mature fabric choice of linen. 

Her face was softened by time but she was still recognisable as Sarah Michelle Gellar, better known to my generation from her title role in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Gellar took a break of several years from acting to be with her young family and is now back on our screens, ready to start what she referred to in a recent interview as her ‘adult career’.