With her breakout hit Desperate Housewives, the former Lois Lane has given men everywhere a reason to covet 40-year-old divorcees

Ten years ago, Teri Hatcher wrapped herself in nothing but Superman’s red cape and posed for what would soon become touted as the most downloaded picture on the Internet. The shot cemented her place in pinup history and firmly proved that no one was tuning into Lois & Clark because they wanted to see Dean Cain in tights.

Now, at the age of 40, Teri’s a phenomenon once more—this time as Susan, the divorced and oh so-horny mother on ABC’s hit, Desperate Housewives. “I feel like I’ve won the lottery with that show,” she says.

Born in Sunnyvale, CA, Teri fell into show business in the early-80s when she followed a friend to a Love Boat audition and ended up snagging a dancing mermaid slot herself. Nice start, but Teri didn’t gain national hottie recognition until 10 years later, when she was cast on Seinfeld as the girl with the perfect rack. Finally, after uttering her immortal, asset-describing line—“They’re real and they’re spectacular!” Teri’s star ascended. Lois & Clark followed soon after.

Alas, the show ended in 1997, the same year Teri took her Bond girl turn in Tomorrow Never Dies. Now she’s back in the news. And back in the nude: One of the most memorable Housewives episodes thus far found her spending quality time locked out of her house without a shred of cloth covering her. Even better: Teri promises more. “Boys,” she says into FHM’s tape recorder, “keep watching and I’ll take my clothes off in as many episodes as you’d like.” Promises, promises. . . .

Teri, you give 40 a good name.
That’s a good angle: 40 and hot. Do that! I wanted to show with this photo shoot that women of my age can be sensual. That’s as opposed to what I can’t do, which is be a 22-year-old in a bikini on the beach in Malibu. I wanted to show a knowing sexuality, not a flitting sexuality.

OK, but you accomplished that mission back in the days of Lois & Clark with your cape shot.
What’s sexy about that shot is what you’re not seeing. It’s the idea that I’m wrapped only in his cape. How did I get in it? What happened before?

Wasn’t that shot your idea?
It was. At the photo shoot, ABC put me in a business blouse and said, “Put the cape around you.” I said, “With this blouse on? Don’t you think I should take it off?” They said, “No, that’s too sexy.” I said, “C’mon, let’s just shoot one roll without the blouse.” So out of the 10-hour photo shoot, there was one roll with the blouse off—and that’s what they used.

And you’ve been taking it off ever since. You were nude on Desperate Housewives right off the bat. God, I know. It’s funny because I would not put myself on the list of Pam Anderson killer bodies. I mean, I clean up OK, but...

That’s ridiculous. After all, you’re the perfectly breasted Seinfeld girl.
Nine years ago they were “real and spectacular.” Now they’re just “real.” Oh, come on. Those puppies are practically pop-culture artifacts. If they’re going to be pop artifacts, my deathbed wish is that somebody cuts them off, freezes them, puts them in a frame and auctions them off for a million dollars for some fabulous women’s charity.

For now, just tell us about spending the day naked on your show.
Well, you can’t do real nudity on ABC, so I had little tape things stuck all over me. I went out at 6:30 in the morning, flung off my robe and said, “OK, everyone, I’m mortified, but we’re gonna be looking at it all day, so let’s just get it over with. Here it is! Look!”

You’ve come a long way from the “unattractive nerd” you’ve described your adolescent self as being.
Oh, I’m still a nerd, make no mistake. But I distinctly remember leaving sophomore year of high school with no breasts. Then something happened over the summer and I came back with breasts that I wasn’t even aware I had. Suddenly, the seniors were asking me out. I was thrilled.

So just like your character on the show, your pipes are clogged?
Soooo clogged!

Maybe you need to call a plumber.
Oh, I do. I did, actually, ask a guy out on a date today, which is really big for me. I met him a few weeks ago and haven’t been able to get him out of my head, so I called information and got his number, and we’re going to go out. See? I’m not making myself out to be desperate, I really am. So if this works out, he’s a lucky man. We’ll see. God, cut to January when this comes out and I’ll be crying and sobbing somewhere.