Lisa Kudrow had 'no idea' U.S. Space Force existed before shooting Netflix comedy

Lisa Kudrow had "no idea" there was a real-life Space Force while she was filming a Netflix comedy about the U.S. military agency.

The Friends star joins Steve Carell, John Malkovich, and the late Fred Willard in the new sitcom, inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump's initiation of the agency.

However, in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lisa admitted she was entirely unaware that the programme was based on real-life events.

"I had no idea, I really did not know that the President said, 'Let's have a Space Force.' I mean, I just can't keep up, so I missed that one," she said. "It was just, 'We're doing the show, why don't you do it?' And I was like, 'Yeah! Of course! Why wouldn't I?'"

Revealing it was the star-studded cast that piqued her interest initially, the actress continued: "But sorry, dumba*s here didn't know there was actually a Space Force. And it's so embarrassing because when I saw the last State of the Union and he mentioned Space Force, I went, 'Oh! It's a real thing!'

"I usually keep up with what's going on, but to me, there's so much - and sometimes I don't know what's a joke and what isn't. I don't mean with this show, I mean in life - that I missed it."

But now that she knows the Space Force is a real organisation, Lisa has a new appreciation for the Netflix series, arriving on the streaming service on 29 May, calling it a "great balancing act".