Tim DeKay and Ally Walker star in 'Tell Me You Love Me', premiering Sunday night at 8 on HBO.

In her long career, the actress, now almost 68, has tackled a series of daunting roles ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt to Calamity Jane and given performances that have earned her a Tony, two Emmys and four Academy Award nominations. She also navigated the treacherous political waters surrounding her tenure as head of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Still, Alexander admits she thought twice before joining the cast of Tell Me You Love Me, an envelope-pushing new HBO drama series premiering Sunday, September 9.

Her role as Dr. May Foster, a therapist counselling three very troubled couples, was a meaty one, but it also called for something unprecedented: a nude and explicitly simulated love scene with David Selby, the 66-year-old actor cast as her husband, Arthur.

"I knew it was a first, and also given my image with the public, I knew it was going to be hard for some people to absorb," the actress says. "The wonderful thing is that David and I go way back together. We did some plays together in the '70s and '80s, and we've known each other for a long time. We both are personally in long, very happy marriages."

Personal dramas

Clearly, HBO is hoping that even if some viewers initially tune in for the skin, they will hang around to watch the personal dramas of the couples in therapy: engaged 20-somethings Jamie and Hugo (Michelle Borth, Luke Kirby), who are grappling with the prospect of lifetime fidelity; Carolyn (Sonya Walger), a corporate executive in her 30s, who is obsessed with having a child with her far more ambivalent husband, Palek (Adam Scott); and Dave and Katie (Tim DeKay, Ally Walker), a 40ish couple who clearly still deeply love each other yet have stopped having sex.

While viewers may gravitate to the couple closest to their own ages, it's hard to imagine that anyone could remain unmoved by the work of DeKay and Walker.

- John Crook, Zap2it