Remember the character, “Stacey,” the Blood gangster from The Wood? In the movie, he was the protective, older brother of “young Alicia” (played by Malinda Williams) and he beat the mess out of “young Mike” for grabbing his baby sister’s behind.

That movie brought back great memories of being in high school, but unfortunately what doesn’t bring back great memories for actor De’Aundre Bonds, is the 10 years he had to serve in prison AFTER The Wood was released.

De’Aundre’s background is one of turmoil and determination. He grew up in the hood of South Central, L.A. and was determined not to follow in his parents’ footsteps of becoming addicted to alcohol and drugs. So he pursued his dream of acting, made a way out of no way, starred in a few popular movies, and just before he was about to take advantage of the biggest move of his career, which was starring opposite Denzel Washington in the film, Antwone Fisher, that’s when a tragic altercation with his aunt’s boyfriend happened and everything else nosedived head first right into the ground.

Here’s what De’Aundre revealed to Black Enterprise about how he ended up serving time for murdering his aunt’s boyfriend:
What are the details of the crime that sent you to prison?

“I went over to my auntie’s house to give her some money and her boyfriend was over there. I guess he had something that he was going through that I wasn’t unaware of, because for no provoked reason he came at me in an aggressive way. When I pulled up and got out my car, I left it running to go in for a moment, and I guess he was mad I had the music up. I don’t know, but something ticked him off and he put his hands on me and knocked me down. I got up and he knocked me down again. I went in the house grabbed a knife [and] he came at me again. I stabbed him one time and he died. I stayed there and tried to help him. I waited for the ambulance; they came and took him away. Then the police came. That’s what happened.”

What were your thoughts when you realized the results of your actions and likely headed to prison?

“It was crazy because when I went to prison I had just booked a movie with Denzel Washington. Denzel himself gave me the part, it was Antwone Fisher and I was excited to be living my dream. I was about to go to the next level and then all of a sudden I had to go down. At the time I didn’t understand why me and then after going through it, after enduring it and after the years you learn why. It’s something you can only understand after you’ve endured it. In a crazy way I needed that. I needed to be shut down. I needed to learn myself, I needed a place where I had to really open my eyes and wake up. That’s what incarceration afforded me the opportunity to do—wake up and check myself. We’re not perfect, however, I’m striving to be the best that I can be.”

On how his prison record has impacted his career…

“If I could ever change what happen I would absolutely do that in a minute, in a second, but I know that that’s not a possibility, so I don’t hold it against myself. God hasn’t held it against me either because I feel it in my heart; my heart is free. So if the conviction impacted my career in a negative way I haven’t seen it.”

As soon as De’Aundre’s feet hit the pavement again after his prison release, he came out running. He immediately started filming again in various movies and most starred in the 2015 film, Dope.

De’Aundre’s story is just another reminder that all it takes sometimes, is just one bad decision to ruin one’s entire life. It’s heartbreaking that someone lost their life in the is situation. It’s also good that De’Aundre has been working to piece his back together and change for the better.