A couple of months ago, director Sydney Pollack achieved quite a feat.
He convinced United Nations officials to let him shoot inside the UN headquarters in New York for his Nicole Kidman-starrer The Interpreter.
Kidman's ex wasn't so lucky.
Tom Cruise was eyeing Germany's 19th-century parliament building, the Reichstag, in Berlin to shoot Mission: Impossible 3.
The 41-year-old actor, who reprises his role of agent Ethan Hunt, is also co-producing the film.
The Last Samurai star will have to rethink his options since the German authorities refused to allow access to any film crew inside the historic building.
A report in the German magazine Bild quotes a parliament spokesperson saying, 'The building is not available as a film location, and we refuse point blank every request to use it as such. It is about maintaining the dignity of the parliament.'
Photograph: Getty Images
